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Photo by Bob Pennell Stephanie DouBrava, Miss Rogue Valley for 1999, works out at the Dance Arts Center in Medford. She danced "Once Upon a Dream" from "Sleeping Beauty" as her talent entry in the Miss Rogue Valley Pageant May 8. A very young Stephanie DouBrava knew she'd one day be crowned ... Miss Rogue Valley By KATHY MORGAN When Stephanie DouBrava was 8 years old, her neighbor took her to the Miss Rogue Valley Pageant. "She kept telling me that that would be me one day, standing on that stage with a crown on my head," DouBrava said. Jean Kelso, the neighbor, was right. May 8, DouBrava was crowned Miss Rogue Valley 1999. "I was so surprised," DouBrava said. But she was about the only one who was. "Sometimes you can just tell," said Sheri Parker, executive director of Miss Rogue Valley. "I knew she'd be right up there. She has what it takes." The 17-year-old DouBrava danced her way across the Craterian stage into the hearts of the judges. She chose her favorite ballet, ``Sleeping Beauty," and danced to "Once Upon A Dream." "And then the dream came true," she said. "I won." The new Miss Rogue Valley is a daughter of Ellen and Dennis DouBrava. A senior at North Medford High, she is an honors student with a cumulative GPA of 3.72. But she doesn't spend a lot of time with her nose in a book. "If you ask me right now I don't even know what day graduation is," she said. That's because since winning the title she has been one busy young woman. Last weekend was spent in Seaside, attending workshops for the Miss Oregon Pageant. Then there are her regular duties: working five days a week at the Dance Arts Center store, volunteering with Head Start and the North Medford Childhood Development Center, and practicing her dance. "Stephanie is very goal-oriented," said Mary Cowden Snyder, dance instructor and owner of the center. "She knows how to work, how to present herself and how to show a winning smile." Snyder choreographed the pageant ballet for DouBrava and acts as her coach and biggest fan. "I won't be surprised if she wins Miss Oregon," Snyder said. Every day DouBrava is in the dance studio working on technical aspects of her performance and adding last-minute touches. "I love dancing," she said. "I really get into character." But her passion is for children and helping others. And that's when her character shows. If she sounds sounds like a Girl Scout, it's because she is. In junior high she received the silver award, the second highest Scouting honor possible, for collecting more than 500 Teddy bears and donating them to the police to give to traumatized children. "One of the biggest influences in my life was Cheri Weldon, our Girl Scout leader," she said. "She taught me the importance of being of service to others and the love of children." DouBrava's platform, a social issue she will promote during her reign as Miss Rogue Valley, is early childhood development. "I truly believe in the importance of education," she said. Right now she is working on making the public aware of the funding crisis Head Start is facing. She plans on attending Southern Oregon University this fall and majoring in elementary education. She also takes her duty as role model seriously. "I've never done anything that could be seen as negative," she said. "I hear things like `Stephanie, why didn't you come to the party?' and `Stephanie, why didn't you go out Friday night?' I've had such a loving family and close group of friends that I've never wanted to do anything but succeed." And winning the pageant? "I feel like I'm on my way," she said. "I will never forget this year." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA