Hannah Mollerick will be a queen for a year, complete with a shimmering crown and a satin sash.

Hannah, 17, of Jessup, was crowned America's Miss Teen 2008 July 5 in Orlando, Fla.

She competed against nine finalists, culled from a field of 25 contestants from across the United States and the U.S. Virgin Islands, said Sharon Brown, national director of the America's Miss Teen pageant.

The final two-hour competition included interview, fitness wear and evening gown categories.

Hannah, who will be a senior at Hammond High School in the fall, said she was excited to win her first national pageant.

"A crown gives you a voice," she said, explaining that she plans to use her reign to promote positive peer pressure to area teens and pre-teens.

"In order to do great things, you can't succumb to the peer pressure," she added.

The pageant, which originated in Maryland in 2003, is one of several national pageant systems that are operated in the United States, Brown said.

Hannah won the state competition to qualify for the national competition, Brown said. As the national winner, Hannah will make numerous appearances at parades and other events locally and across the U.S. as a pageant spokesperson, Brown said.

"This will open the door for her for other national pageants," Brown added. "This is a good opportunity for her."

Dancing her way to pageants

Hannah has been competing in pageants since she was 8 and has won or placed in many of those, she said. Most recently, she won the 2006 Miss Maryland Outstanding Teen, after winning the Howard County title to qualify for the state pageant.

Participating in pageants was a natural transition from being a dancer, she said, adding that she has mastered several forms, from tap to ballet to traditional African dances. She is a member of Hammond High's dance company and will be captain next year.

Hannah always has loved being on stage, her mother, Jolene Mollerick, said, adding that Hannah clamored to do karaoke in public at the age of 3 and began taking dance classes shortly after that.

After getting a postcard through the mail that advertised a pageant when she was 8, Hannah decided to enter, Jolene Mollerick said.

"I had to let her follow her path," she said. "If your child wants to do something, you should let them explore their path."

Jolene Mollerick said she's proud of her oldest daughter.

"We're over the moon," she said of Hannah's national win. "She's a really good kid."

Hannah said her favorite thing about competing in pageants is meeting her fellow contestants. In fact, she met her best friend, who lives in Pennsylvania, in 2006, at the Outstanding Teen national pageant. The two talk daily on the phone, she said.

"The girls are fantastic," Hannah said of her fellow competitors.

Her advice to other girls who are considering entering a pageant is "just do it."

"Once you're in it, you're in it for life," she said. "It's addicting."

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