LauRen Merola's T-shirt represented her personality perfectly.
It sparkled and glittered, a form-fitting black shirt with burnt orange and maroon sequins. Merola -- a model, beauty queen and former professional cheerleader --likes the shirt's "edginess."
The sequins spelled out "Virginia Tech Hokies," one of her two favorite college athletic programs. But more than the college, it represented her passion for sports, and competition in general.
The evening gown Merola had on five minutes earlier fit her well too. The butterscotch dress, glimmering with intricate networks of crystal beads, was tailored specifically for Merola.
In three weeks, the dress will serve as Merola's uniform when she shows up for the big game -- the Miss USA pageant in Las Vegas. She arrived in Las Vegas on Wednesday, with cameras ready to greet her and the other 50 candidates at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino.
Glamour, for the sake of competition, suits Merola well.
"I'm not your typical pageant girl," Merola said during an interview this week.
Her pageant experience started with a riot. Merola, born and raised in Baldwin, first competed in a pageant for 2- and 3-year-olds at Soldiers and Sailors Military Museum and Memorial in Pittsburgh. She won, but never had a chance to wear the crown. Merola's mother, Dana, said the speaker system stopped working before the pageant organizers announced the winners, leading to mayhem in the hall -- parents stormed the stage and stole awards.
"I swore to never do pageants again," Dana said.
Throughout her childhood, Merola watched the national beauty pageants and longed to try the competitions again. She had the training -- Merola practiced several forms of dance from age 4 on. She had the looks -- the Soldiers and Sailors win was no fluke. She had the attitude -- her mother said LauRen grabbed people's faces and turned them back to her if they weren't watching her.
When she was in eighth grade, Merola and her family moved to South Florida. It was there that she began competing in pageants again.
Now, at age 23, Merola, is Miss Pennsylvania. On April 11, she may have the title "Miss USA" as well.
"I'd put all my chips on her," said Jennifer Watkins Vinsick, Merola's manager.
Vinsick serves as manager for Miss Pennsylvania, Miss West Virginia and Miss Indiana. She also serves as director of administration for Miss USA in the three states.
On Monday, Merola met Vinsick at Pennsylvania's pageant headquarters, located in a residential house on Driftwood Road in Brownsville, to try on the finished evening gown.
When Merola exited the bathroom with the dress on, there was no "Ta-da!" moment, nothing on par with a bride trying on her wedding gown or a high school senior finding her prom dress.
Instead, it was right down to business. Vinsick, who won Miss Pennsylvania in 2001, snapped a photo of Merola and the duo began analyzing how the dress matched her recently highlighted, lowlighted and toned hair -- glamour, for the sake of competition.
Merola spent almost four hours earlier that day at Dean of Shadyside Salon getting rid of the "skunk strip," or highlights with dark roots, on her head. Ken Zana, Merola's hair stylist since 2004, wrapped portions of her hair with plastic sheets covered in translucent goop.
Then he dried Merola's hair under a heat lamp.
Then washed the hair.
Then added white goop.
Then the process of washing and drying proceeded for another hour, followed by a hair cut. What was the end result of the hair extravaganza?
"Ken, is this going to lighten up?" Merola asked, somewhat anxious. "It's brown. Why is it so brown?"
"It's not brown, it'll lighten up," Zana replied.
"It's not light enough. I need blonde, not brown," Merola said, her expression apologizing to Zana for extending an already long process.
Zana admitted he liked the darker hair better than the blonde hair Merola sported for Miss Pennsylvania. Merola understood, but had more important priorities -- her hair had to match the dress.
Merola studies every facet of pageantry like a football television analyst -- a job she wouldn't mind having one day. She was a cheerleader for the Miami Dolphins for three years, and developed a habit professional football players practice -- video review. She studies previous pageant winners to figure out what works.
Her competitive spirit came from her father, who died of lung cancer almost four years ago. Merola's mother said he would leave the second Merola's name wasn't announced as the winner at pageants.
Merola has held onto her father's competitive fire, and carries his memory into competition. Cancer prevention is now her platform.
With the looks, the competitive drive and a worldly knowledge -- Merola visited Bosnia, Hong Kong, Vienna and Kosovo while working with the United Service Organization as a Dolphins cheerleader -- she believes the Mikimoto pearl-strewn Miss USA crown, and the one-year contract as a representative of some of Donald Trump's companies, is within her grasp.
"I know I'm ready for the job, so I kind of have blinders on," Merola said.
She trusts the blinders pair well with her glimmering, game day butterscotch uniform.