Livermore Beauty Competes in Miss California USA

Samantha Potstada watched the Miss Universe 2011 competition on Monday knowing that next year, it could be her up on that world stage.

The 2006 grad never thought much about beauty pageants until a few months ago while trolling online for volunteer opportunities.

“I’ve always wanted to volunteer, but between school and work, there just wasn’t enough time,” the petite blond says. “When I saw the Miss California website, I realized this could be a way for me to spend a year doing volunteer work.”

Samantha, 23, is one of 300 young women chosen to compete in the Miss California USA competition on Jan. 6-8 in Palm Desert. The contestants, who must raise their own sponsorship money to pay for the expenses, are judged on swimsuit, gown and an interview.

The winner of the competition then competes in the Miss USA contest, and that winner moves on to the Miss Universe competition. Samantha says judges also look at the contestants volunteer and charity work.

Volunteering is more than just a passing interest for Samantha. She wants to spotlight causes that have touched her family deeply, and that includes helping the homeless.

She has signed up for Shepherd’s Gate’s 24-hour-live-in-your-car-a-thon that takes place Oct. 8-9 at the Alameda County Fairgrounds. Participants pay a $24 parking fee and take part in activities that raise awareness about the problem of homelessness.

Samantha knows first hand how devastating that can be for family members. Her father has been homeless, and recently she saw him in Sacramento going through a garbage can outside a store she was entering with a relative.

“I went over to him and gave him a hug,” Samantha says, tearing up as she speaks about him. “I got a lot of looks from people wondering what I was doing, but people who are homeless have families too.”

She also is planning a poker tournament to raise money and awareness for Turner Syndrome, a rare disease in which females are born with one less than the two usual XX chromosomes. The disease has struck a close family member, and Samantha believes by giving the little-known disease a higher profile, it would lead to more research and acceptance.

Samantha says like a lot of other people, she had some preconceptions about women who took part in pageants. She says a high school friend who did them encouraged Samantha to take part, but she declined.

“I thought the girls would be snooty, but my friend wasn’t and she told me they were just fun,” Samantha says. “I think I was like a lot of people who thought that anyone who did beauty contests had bleached teeth and orange tans. But that’s not true. I’ve learned you shouldn’t judge people by the way they look.”

Samantha still needs help in her quest to become Miss California USA. She needs to raise money, and she’s looking for evening gowns for the televised competition and two new interview outfits. All donations are tax-deductible, according to the Miss California USA website.

You can contact Samantha through email at s_potstada@yahoo.com or visit her Facebook page.