Gig Harbor teen places in top 10 at Seattle pageant

Susan Schell

of the Gateway

Alexandra Andren never considered herself a beauty pageant type. The Gig Harbor High School senior calls herself more of an athletic, outdoorsy type.

But last summer, she decided to give the Miss Washington Teen pageant a try, and she placed in the top 10 at last month’s competition in Seattle.

“She’s never been in a pageant before,” said her mother, Olga Andren. “She’s a swimmer. She’s a natural and made a lot of good friends while she was there.”

Andren said she went into the contest with an open mind.

“My mom thought it would expose me to a different group of people,” she said.

“It was so glamorous and glittery. I met a lot of very nice people.”

Andren said she got her dress at Sharon’s Consignment Shop in Gig Harbor.

“She knew she was only going to wear the dress once, and for a 17-year-old, that’s pretty smart,” her mother said. “The dress was exquisite. It had never been worn.”

Andren said she’s a people person because her father was in the Air Force for 26 years, so she’s used to traveling and making new friends.

By the time she was 13, she had attended seven different schools and inherited her father’s wanderlust.

She said it’s one of the factors that shaped her life the most.

“It impacted me for the better,” Andren said. “I can relate to many groups, like at school. It’s made me want to travel the world and see what’s really out there.”

Andren’s mother was a German immigrant, and her father is Swedish.

“I grew up visiting family in Germany and Sweden,” she said. “I want to get a taste of the world.”

Living in different environments has given Andren a mature perspective of her surroundings, as well as human nature.

“Each city has its own little culture,” she said. “Like the style and the way people talk and their mannerisms. When you go to New York, it’s so fast-paced. The people may seem unfriendly at first, but they are loyal once you get to know them.

“In Colorado, everyone is outdoorsy and really fit,” she added. “I loved the variety of living in different places.”

Andren plans to attend the University of Hawaii and study foreign languages.

“I speak fluent German, and the language program there is so diverse,” she said. “I want to join the Air Force as an officer and go into the linguistics branch and work for the State Department of Germany.”

Reach Lifestyles Coordinator and reporter Susan Schell at 253-853-9240 or by e-mail at susan.schell@gateline.com.