Oran girl in Miss Teen USA pageant

On Aug. 12, Southeast Missouri will have a poised, passionate and worthy representative at the Miss Teen USA pageant. Amber Seyer of Oran, Mo., left last week for Palm Springs, where she has been spending time with the other 49 Miss Teen USA delegates.

Seyer, 17, has been rehearsing, attending events and participating in preliminary competition these past few days. It's more than a beauty pageant. By winning the Miss Missouri Teen last October, Seyer received four years of free tuition to Lindenwood University at St. Charles, Mo., where she plans to major in interior design.

If she wins Miss Teen USA, Seyer will receive a pearl crown valued at $15,000, a yearlong salary and thousands of dollars in other prizes. Perhaps the best reward for winning would come from her own family: Her parents have even promised to stop smoking if she wins. Who's to say she won't?

The pageant will air at 8 p.m. next Tuesday on NBC. We have a reason to watch.