Here she comes - Miss Teenage California

Ask Caitlin Barrett just five years ago if she'd ever participate in a beauty pageant and the answer would have probably been, "No way."Not even her mother would have guessed. "Caitlin was a tomboy," said her mother Susan Barrett. "You never would have imagined her in a pageant. She was a tom girl, not a pageant girl at all."Name: Catlin Barrett, 18Hometown: FolsomOccupation: Student. Will start USC in the fall In April, Caitlin Barrett, a tomboy turned tiara girl, beat out 221 other competitors for the title of Miss Teenage California. She's the only Folsom girl to hold the title.That all changed in her sophomore year when the Folsom teen received a flier in the mail about an upcoming show. "It looked like fun," remembered the 18-year-old Folsom High School graduate. "I wanted to try something new."She won. "Then I was hooked," Caitlin said. "I did four pageants in two years." In April, this tomboy turned tiara girl beat out 221 other competitors for the title of Miss Teenage California. She's the only Folsom girl to hold the title. "I'm excited about representing Folsom," she said. "It's nice to get some Northern California representation." In addition to a crown, a sash and a load of other gifts, Barrett won scholarship money. She has now paid for her first year at USC, where she plans to study broadcast journalism and public relations. Despite anticipating a busy freshman year living on campus, Barrett wants to continue competing in pageants. She hopes to compete in the Miss USA competition in September and eventually the Miss America pageant. "I'm excited," she said. "I'm pretty confident. I feel I'm ready." While her mother was once a skeptic of pageants, she's now her daughter's biggest supporter. "I have never been supportive of pageants, believe it or not," admits her mother. "Now I'm sold on pageants. (Pageantry) took Caitlin and helped her bloom. She has no problem interviewing and talking in front of crowds. It was meant to be to get that letter in the mail. I believe it's helped her a lot." She believes pageantry will also help her future. In addition to more scholarships, Mom hopes winning and competing will also help get Caitlin's name out and open doors for her. "She's making an amazing buzz for herself," Mom said. Also in Caitlin's corner are her father, Larry, and brother Brendon, 19, who attends Sacramento State. While Caitlin was once the farthest thing from a pageant competitor, she's no stranger to the stage. At age 8 she was cast in the 1997 film "Little Big Foot." She's also been featured on the NBC sitcom "Frasier," where she appeared as Melody, the girlfriend of Frasier's son, and a couple HBO movies. She is also featured in the July edition of Supermodel Unlimited Magazine. While she's a fan of TV, Barrett doesn't like the pageant programs shown on VH1 and MTV. She said these reality-type programs don't represent real life. "I'd tell people not to believe what they see on TV," she said. "It's not like what they portray. Everyone's really nice. And they're all smart. I've never seen anyone with plastic surgery. There are myths about pageants, but what they show on TV is skewed, at least what I've experienced."