BSCkids recently sat down with the Miss Teen Arizona winner, Tori Vance to talk about her experience with underage drinking and her DUI charge. She talks about the consequences of underage drinking and a message about destructive decisions.
Tori is the all American hometown girl who grew up in Arizona playing sports. She first began modeling at the age of 14 when she signed with Ford Black Modeling Agency. In high school, Tori was heavily involved in after school activities/clubs such as their dance team, theatre program, spirit squad, and black student union. That eventually took a backseat when Tori entered and won Ms. Arizona Teen USA in 2010 during her junior year of high school. In November, 2011 Tori gave up her crown and moved to Los Angeles to model and is now preparing for the Miss USA 2013 competition. Her platform for the Miss America Pageant is now underage drinking and its destructive consequences.
BSCkids: Tori Vance
Can you tell us a little about the night that your incident occurred?
I was actually out with some work friends at an early dinner and between the pass around of new flavored drinks I didn’t even give it a second thought that I could have had alcohol in my system. While I was on my way to drop a friend off I missed the turn onto his street and flipped a u-turn to get back on track, and ended up being pulled over.
What were some of the consequences you faced because of your choice that night?
I am currently between court hearings to see what my final
punishment may be but currently my license is suspended and telling my parents was a tough time.
Why do you think underage drinking is such a huge problem?
I think it is a huge problem because teenagers aren’t properly educated on the consequences of a DUI and how quickly something this life changing can happen.
What kind of work are you doing for the organization S.A.D.D.?
Hopefully once I have settled everything in court they will work with me as spokesperson for S.A.D.D. and potentially go to high schools to share my story and create awareness.
What do you hope young adults and teens learn from your experience?
That even with the best intensions in mind, it is never a good idea to underage drink. Always better safe than sorry, and even if you are sure it will never happen to you or you will never get caught, I would say be smart and don’t test your luck!
What is your advice to any teens or young adults who may be faced in a peer pressure situation involving alcohol?
I would say that you never have to do anything you don’t wantto. Even if it may not help your popularity at the time to turn down a drink, it wont matter in a few years how popular you were but how you feel about yourself and your decisions will be with you the rest of your life.
Can you tell us about your plan for the Miss USA 2012 competition?
As of now I plan to compete in MISS California USA 2013, and hopefully bring home the crown! I still have a lot of work to do to get ready, including finding sponsors, a gown, a swimsuit, and spend time working with my charity of choice.
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