When little girls like 4-year-old Dayna Ryken run up to Stephanie Schauer, the 2012 title holder of Miss El Cajon, Ryken reaches down to hug and talk to them. She dances with them, too, at the Concerts on the Promenade. For Schauer, being Miss El Cajon is more important than having won the crown, cash and clout. She is the very picture of congeniality.
Schauer admits that the most exciting part of her role as Miss El Cajon is interacting with the kids in the community.
When little girls like 4-year-old Dayna Ryken run up to Stephanie Schauer, the 2012 title holder of Miss El Cajon, Ryken reaches down to hug and talk to them. She dances with them, too, at the Concerts on the Promenade. For Schauer, being Miss El Cajon is more important than having won the crown, cash and clout. She is the very picture of congeniality.
Schauer admits that the most exciting part of her role as Miss El Cajon is interacting with the kids in the community.
“Yes, they may only be drawn to me because of the shiny arrangement of jewels that delicately sits on top of my head, but their smiles and excitement make me even more excited about my role,” she said.
Helping girls and young ladies to be and look their best is a heartfelt desire of Schauer. Before she won the title of Miss El Cajon, Schauer had thought up ideas of what she wanted to accomplish for the year. One of her primary goals was to hold a prom dress drive for local high school students.
“Thanks to the El Cajon library, I met that goal without having to search too far. They had invited me to attend and help the girls choose dresses. It was wonderful,” she said.
Schauer hopes to inspire people to chase after their dreams and get involved with their communities.
Currently, Schauer is a senior at San Diego State Univeristy with plans to graduate next May with a degree in journalism and two minors in television, film and media and women’s studies. In addition, Schauer is a news intern at a local broadcast station where she assists with morning news segments and practices her broadcast writing skills, among other tasks.
