Kayla Collier is a remarkable teenager — a great student, a community volunteer and most recently she was crowned Miss Florida Teen USA 2009. Kayla is also a cancer survivor. At age 16, the teen from Pahokee, Florida was diagnosed with skin cancer. Now at 18, she has not only beaten the disease, she is also an advocate for teen cancer prevention. Kayla plans to use her new Miss Florida Teen USA title to inform other young people about the dangers of excessive tanning and unprotected sun exposure.

Kayla beat out 40 other pageant contestants to win the coveted Miss Florida Teen USA title, on Sunday, October 5th, 2008. The crowd cheered as Kayla, who represented the Treasure Coast, was crowned the winner at Broward Community College’s Bailey Concert Hall in Davie.

Winning the Miss Florida Teen USA title is just one of many achievements in Kayla’s life. After overcoming skin cancer, Kayla has dedicated herself to educating other teens about prevention and early detection of skin cancer. At the time of her diagnosis, Kayla was shock that she would have to deal this disease at her age. Her message to other teens — you are never too young to worry about protecting yourself from skin cancer.

Kayla is a dedicated volunteer for the American Cancer Society. The organization advises people to avoid the mid-day sun, use sunscreen generously and avoid the use of sun lamps or tanning beds for the prevention of skin cancer. Also check your skin often and report changes to your physician. For more cancer prevention and detection information, visit www.cancer.org.

In addition to her duties as Miss Florida Teen USA 2009, Kayla is a student at Stetson University. She hopes to purse a career in publishing.

The Miss Florida Teen USA Pageant is produced by Tel-Air Interests, which also produces the Miss Florida USA Pageant. Under the leadership of Pageant Director Mary Lou Gravitt, Miss Florida USA and Miss Florida Teen USA are regarded as the premier state pageants in the Miss USA System. For more information about the Miss Florida Teen USA Pageant, click on to the site: www.missfloridateenusa.com.

Source: Miss Florida Teen USA