ORONO – Not sure who Katee Stearns is? She’s on a mission to change that.

On April 21, Miss Maine competed at the Miss USA 2006 pageant in Baltimore, Md., placing in the top 15 among the 51 contestants. After enduring weeks of the pageant’s “boot camp,” the 19-year-old Hampden native was delighted to place so high. The experience enabled her to meet celebrities such as real estate mogul Donald J. Trump and “Dancing with the Stars” reality show champ Drew Lachey.

“When Donald Trump comes up to you and says, ‘Wow, you look really beautiful, you’re going to be successful,’ that means a lot,” the University of Maine sophomore said over coffee this week. She got a good look at the Donald’s hair and reports it is real.

Mackenzie Davis, Miss Maine USA 2004 and the director of the Miss Maine USA organization, called Stearns’ placement a milestone. She said it was the first time that a Miss Maine USA had placed in the top 15 in nearly 30 years. She said pageant powerhouses such as Alabama and Tennessee shouldn’t get all the limelight.

“It makes girls aware that being from Maine, they can still compete against the big pageant states,” Davis said this week.

Competing in the Miss USA pageant, has also changed the John Bapst Memorial High School graduate’s career plans. She discovered she loved being on camera while appearing on television shows such as “Deal or No Deal” and “Live with Regis and Kelly.”

“The stage is like my home,” she said. “I love the camera.” She plans to pursue a career in modeling or film and recently switched her major to broadcast journalism.

A self-described ex-tomboy, Stearns says she never envisioned competing in a beauty pageant. The then-kinesiology major changed her mind when Miss Maine USA 2004 recruited her as a contestant. The two young women worked on interview skills, professional walking and other points.

“It really transformed me and helped me grow as a person: mentally, physically and spiritually,” Stearns said.

On Nov. 28, Stearns competed for – and won – the Miss Maine USA title. Five months later, she was bound for Baltimore to prepare for the Miss USA pageant. She arose daily at 5 a.m. and went through endless preparations involving much press and primping. On a normal day, she was lucky to return to her hotel room by 11 p.m.

In their drive to win, contestants devoted much of their time to perfecting their physical features. Stearns changed her hair color from a subdued light brown to a blazing blond. She worked out religiously and closely watched her diet. Any minutia could affect the final decision.

“Pageants are stranger than fiction, you never know what [the judges] are looking for,” Stearns said. “Bottom line: It is a beauty pageant.”

Naturally, Stearns was disappointed not to win the whole enchilada. But she was proud to be there on behalf of the Pine Tree State.

“It’s not about the individual,” she said. “It’s about representing the state.”

For information on the Miss Maine USA organization, visit www.missmaineusa.com. Ernest Scheyder can be reached at ernest.scheyder@umit.maine.edu.