Zanesville's Sarah Clapper hopes to inspire young women in Miss Ohio Teen USA competition
ZANESVILLE — Competing in Miss Ohio Teen USA wasn't always in Sarah Clapper's busy schedule.
The Zanesville 17-year-old's agenda has included modeling professionally, working at a nursing home and serving at a restaurant — all while juggling online high school classes. Fifty-hour weeks weren't uncommon.
Now she's taking on yet another task. She's competing at Miss Ohio Teen USA on May 20, her first pageant ever.
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While she wants to win in the competition, a big goal is to inspire other young women to follow their dreams, too.
That's because she has aspirations beyond how she does in the pageant: The long-term plan is to become an attorney at her own firm.
Sarah admires attorneys like Margaret Brent, one of the first women to appear before a court of common law in colonial America.
"It's the impact I know I can have on people in future generations," Sarah said. "Like, wow, I can be like her. It doesn't matter if you start somewhere small, you can do it."
She started out at Tri-Valley High School, but was able to accommodate her packed schedule at an online school. The digital platform also affords her an opportunity to graduate a year early this spring.
While the goal is to attend law school, first she's taking steps to get there by working toward her associate degree at Zane State College, then completing a bachelor's degree at another university.
Sarah started an anti-bullying campaign at Adamsville Elementary. When she was an eighth-grader at Tri-Valley Middle School, she wrote to a state representative to push for a bill that would advocate for that cause.
It's something her mother Tequila is proud of. She noted neither she nor her daughter did pageants growing up — it was all Sarah and her ambition to participate in such a big competition.
Tequila also sees her daughter's story inspiring young people within her hometown.
"She's kind, dedicated, hardworking. She strives for success," Tequila said. "Just the ambition, knowing somebody from a small town can do this, so girls know the opportunities are out there."
The competition is only a few weeks away. Tequila said her daughter is still in the "butterflies" stage, nervous about what her first pageant will be like.
"But I know I'm nervous because I care about it," Sarah said.
The competition will be streamed at 7:25 p.m. May 20 and 21 through the Miss Ohio Teen USA Facebook page.
You can also vote for your favorite contestant in a People's Choice award at www.missohiousa.com.
ecouch@gannett.com
740-334-3522
Twitter: @couchreporting
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Former Tri-Valley student competing in Miss Teen Ohio pageant
