RedWine
07-09-2006, 10:59 AM
After much stress, hard work and dedication this past month, Miss Orange County USA just wants to relax.
Shally Zomorodi, a 23-year-old senior at Cal State Fullerton, was crowned on Feb. 25 at the Four Points Sheraton in Fullerton.
Although this was not her first beauty pageant competition, it was Zomorodi’s most challenging and stressful time in her life.
“It was very overwhelming,” she said. “But it was a good test. I learned how to balance my time.”
Zomorodi will be graduating in May with the double major of broadcast journalism and political science.
With more visible support than any other contestant, 59 family and friends showed up to the competition, while 15 of them were her club friends from the Pi Sigma Alpha Honor Society.
http://dailytitan.fullerton.edu/issues/spring_01/photos_news/03_16_missoc.jpg
Last year, Zomorodi and nine other political science students discovered that a professor once dropped the society two years ago. They immediately found an adviser, and she has been vice president since the society’s rebirth.
“Shally’s very passionate about her work,” said Young Kim, president of Pi Sigma Alpha. “She never gives up on something, because she knows she has the power to do it.”
The 22-year-old political science major stated that Zomorodi’s good communication skills were important to her winning first place in all three categories. She went home with awards for Miss Congeniality, Miss Personality and Miss Orange County.
Zomorodi first entered a beauty pageant when she was 17 years old. She was working at a cookie shop when she noticed an advertisement about the Miss California State Preliminary. She entered for fun and won second runner-up.
This time around, the more mature and politically-driven Zomorodi wanted a challenge. She was already working 40 hours as a waitress, taking between 18 and 24 units a semester, training a young teenage cheer group into first place regional champions, and was vice president of Pi Sigma Alpha.
“Shally motivates me,” said Bruce Entezam, 24, her boyfriend of two years. “She makes me reach for my goals better and faster.”
Zomorodi admits that being in a pageant and trying to balance her schedule has left minimal time for them to spend together, especially since Entezam is a recent graduate from the UC Irvine. Their relationship was divided between schools and towns. But despite their relationship strain, Entezam is complimentary of Zomorodi’s traits, believing her to be “confident and ambitious about life.”
Another challenge that Zomorodi set for herself was to lose weight. The competition did not force its required taste for a slim image, but it motivated Zomorodi to lose about 25 pounds. She said that she was the heaviest and shortest girl in the pageant, and still won first place.
“It’s an opinion of five people and then you move on,” Zomorodi said about the chance she might have not won.
http://www.parstimes.com/gallery/shirin_ebadi/shally_zomorodi_01.jpg
Zomorodi feels that her experience was very interesting and well worth her time and effort. About four months, ago she decided to start eating healthy and dedicated time to working out at the gym. The timely event motivated her to not give up. While other girls in the pageant were solely focused on winning the sash and crown because of its prestige, Zomorodi just wanted to have some fun.
“Every female has issues with weight because of the media,” Tania Cardona, 22, said. “She eats fine, goes to the gym and enjoys looking her best.”
Cardona is the Pi Sigma Alpha Events Coordinator. A political science and criminal justice major, she is also Zomorodi’s close friend and classmate. Cardona said that education is most important to Zomorodi right now, even though the pageant is her most recent accomplishment.
“She values education, and the pageant was just a forum for her to speak her mind,” Cardona said.
Zomorodi envisions a future for herself revolving around politics and justice. She plans to become a Supreme Court Justice, because the challenge in being the first Persian-American woman with a black robe, gavel and power in hand is attractive.
In a recent three-day trip to Sacramento with her campaign class this semester, Zomorodi was able to speak with state politicians, like State Assembly District member Paul Koretz.
The theme in her class, taught by Dr. Barbara Stone, is based on a mock campaign. The candidate is Zomorodi and her classmates have to create marketing techniques to promote her as a politician.
For the project, the laws that she is trying to get approved are banishing the use of cell phones while driving and putting children with drug problems in rehabilitation centers instead of juvenile hall.
In being the center of attention for an academic class, Zomorodi perceives she is not always treated with respect. Along with the difficulty in being the subject of a course and important to the determination of students’ grades, she can tell that both males and females begrudge her role against her.
Raphael Sonenshine, her political science adviser, described Zomorodi as “an excellent student and a very good organizer.” He said that because of her leadership quality, she doesn’t need much counseling.
In September, Zomorodi will compete in the official preliminary Miss California USA pageant. In the meantime, her focus is on midterms, committing time to her political science classes and exercising four to five times a week.
But Zomorodi’s passion for long hours of sleep is, of course, her first priority.
Shally Zomorodi, a 23-year-old senior at Cal State Fullerton, was crowned on Feb. 25 at the Four Points Sheraton in Fullerton.
Although this was not her first beauty pageant competition, it was Zomorodi’s most challenging and stressful time in her life.
“It was very overwhelming,” she said. “But it was a good test. I learned how to balance my time.”
Zomorodi will be graduating in May with the double major of broadcast journalism and political science.
With more visible support than any other contestant, 59 family and friends showed up to the competition, while 15 of them were her club friends from the Pi Sigma Alpha Honor Society.
http://dailytitan.fullerton.edu/issues/spring_01/photos_news/03_16_missoc.jpg
Last year, Zomorodi and nine other political science students discovered that a professor once dropped the society two years ago. They immediately found an adviser, and she has been vice president since the society’s rebirth.
“Shally’s very passionate about her work,” said Young Kim, president of Pi Sigma Alpha. “She never gives up on something, because she knows she has the power to do it.”
The 22-year-old political science major stated that Zomorodi’s good communication skills were important to her winning first place in all three categories. She went home with awards for Miss Congeniality, Miss Personality and Miss Orange County.
Zomorodi first entered a beauty pageant when she was 17 years old. She was working at a cookie shop when she noticed an advertisement about the Miss California State Preliminary. She entered for fun and won second runner-up.
This time around, the more mature and politically-driven Zomorodi wanted a challenge. She was already working 40 hours as a waitress, taking between 18 and 24 units a semester, training a young teenage cheer group into first place regional champions, and was vice president of Pi Sigma Alpha.
“Shally motivates me,” said Bruce Entezam, 24, her boyfriend of two years. “She makes me reach for my goals better and faster.”
Zomorodi admits that being in a pageant and trying to balance her schedule has left minimal time for them to spend together, especially since Entezam is a recent graduate from the UC Irvine. Their relationship was divided between schools and towns. But despite their relationship strain, Entezam is complimentary of Zomorodi’s traits, believing her to be “confident and ambitious about life.”
Another challenge that Zomorodi set for herself was to lose weight. The competition did not force its required taste for a slim image, but it motivated Zomorodi to lose about 25 pounds. She said that she was the heaviest and shortest girl in the pageant, and still won first place.
“It’s an opinion of five people and then you move on,” Zomorodi said about the chance she might have not won.
http://www.parstimes.com/gallery/shirin_ebadi/shally_zomorodi_01.jpg
Zomorodi feels that her experience was very interesting and well worth her time and effort. About four months, ago she decided to start eating healthy and dedicated time to working out at the gym. The timely event motivated her to not give up. While other girls in the pageant were solely focused on winning the sash and crown because of its prestige, Zomorodi just wanted to have some fun.
“Every female has issues with weight because of the media,” Tania Cardona, 22, said. “She eats fine, goes to the gym and enjoys looking her best.”
Cardona is the Pi Sigma Alpha Events Coordinator. A political science and criminal justice major, she is also Zomorodi’s close friend and classmate. Cardona said that education is most important to Zomorodi right now, even though the pageant is her most recent accomplishment.
“She values education, and the pageant was just a forum for her to speak her mind,” Cardona said.
Zomorodi envisions a future for herself revolving around politics and justice. She plans to become a Supreme Court Justice, because the challenge in being the first Persian-American woman with a black robe, gavel and power in hand is attractive.
In a recent three-day trip to Sacramento with her campaign class this semester, Zomorodi was able to speak with state politicians, like State Assembly District member Paul Koretz.
The theme in her class, taught by Dr. Barbara Stone, is based on a mock campaign. The candidate is Zomorodi and her classmates have to create marketing techniques to promote her as a politician.
For the project, the laws that she is trying to get approved are banishing the use of cell phones while driving and putting children with drug problems in rehabilitation centers instead of juvenile hall.
In being the center of attention for an academic class, Zomorodi perceives she is not always treated with respect. Along with the difficulty in being the subject of a course and important to the determination of students’ grades, she can tell that both males and females begrudge her role against her.
Raphael Sonenshine, her political science adviser, described Zomorodi as “an excellent student and a very good organizer.” He said that because of her leadership quality, she doesn’t need much counseling.
In September, Zomorodi will compete in the official preliminary Miss California USA pageant. In the meantime, her focus is on midterms, committing time to her political science classes and exercising four to five times a week.
But Zomorodi’s passion for long hours of sleep is, of course, her first priority.