By Erna TAYLOR STARK

Mandie Jones is a contestant in the Donald Trump Miss Teen California USA Pageant 2011

At first glance, Mandie Jones looks like a typical, pretty teenager. However, she is all dressed up in daytime finery, sporting her pink Miss Teen Glendale banner, full makeup and heels on a very hot day in Glendale.
Once she starts speaking and explaining how she sees the world, it becomes apparent that in many ways she is not a typical teenager. This one seems to really care about the world and the people and animals in it.
“I don’t judge people,” she said quietly. “I have an endless amount of love to give and I wish to take away all the pain in the world, as best I can. I have a great appreciation for life, animals and plants and I want to share that with everyone.” She shrugged her shoulders and smiled shyly.
Mandie went on to explain how she had come across a young lady sitting by the side of the road near a department store. She was crying. Other people just looked at her and passed her by, but Mandie chose to stop and speak with her. After a while, the girl became calmer and they just talked for a long time. “I think I helped her,” she said.
Mandie has a lot of friends and does typical teenage stuff like talk on the phone, giggle with the girls, and dress up. An avid blues singer, has sung at the Steel Pit in Tujunga and was featured in a musical at New Hope Community Church called “Teenage Wasteland.”
This soft-spoken young lady is very sure of where she is headed: out into the world to be of help.
A straight ‘A,’ independent study student at Verdugo Academy, Mandie will be 17 on Sept. 28. Her plans are to attend Pasadena City College for her basic classes and then go on to UCLA to get a doctorate in anthropology, which she finds fascinating.
“I would like to do field work with aboriginal tribes,” she said. “I have a lot of things I want to do, so I will figure it out as I go. I love learning. I think I will be learning my whole life.”
Under the rules of the pageant, which has its roots on Facebook, Mandie must get her own sponsors and funding to support her in this contest. She is up against 30 other hopefuls for the title of Miss Teen USA when the contest takes place in Palm Springs the first week of November. The emcee for the pageant is Keith Lewis and it will be co-hosted by former beauty queen Shanna Moakler who was first runner-up (as Miss New York) at Miss USA 1995. She was named Miss USA after the original winner, Chelsi Smith from Texas, won Miss Universe a few months later.
For more information about the pageant, go to the Fan Page on Facebook at www.facebook.com.MandieJones.officialfanpage.
To contribute to her campaign, visit sponsorthanks.com/MandieJones.

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