MISS MISSOURI TEEN USA 1993 Melanie Breedlove – Honorable Mention – MISS TEEN USA 1993 – Miss Photogenic – MISS TEEN USA 1993

Melanie (Breedlove) Kauffman represented the state of Missouri at the 1993 Miss Teen USA pageant in Biloxi, Mississippi where her roommate was Stephanie Sweeney, Miss California Teen USA.

Current Biographical Information:
Melanie and her husband, George, reside in Kansas City, Missouri. Melanie has spent the last couple of years helping her husband start his business, SportsDev, LLC which focuses on sports development technology. Melanie graduated Cum Laude from Drury University in Springfield, Missouri with a Bachelor's Degree in Communications which she put to use as a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative for Aventis before her marriage and move to the Kansas City area.

What is your best memory of your year as a titleholder?
I have to say it was a big compliment and very exciting to be awarded the Miss Photogenic award at Miss Teen USA. One funny memory that I'll never forget happened when I wasn't called into the top ten at Teen USA. As we broke away for commercial, the venue was very quite and I could hear my director, John Vannatta's voice screaming, "send the judges home!" In fact, I could hear it on the video tape when I returned home. It is disappointing to not make top ten, but what a great feeling to know that my friend and director supported me that much!

Was there one person you met during your year that you were really excited to meet?
Actually, there wasn't just one person. Over the course of the year, I gained an entire extended family--the Vannatta family. Since I lived in the Southern part of Missouri, I spent quite a bit of time, during the summer, living with the Vannatta's and sharing a room with Jennifer (Miss Kansas 1998) she was just a year or two older than me and in a short summer became a life long friend.

How did your year as a titleholder impact what you went on to achieve?
Definitely the opportunity to do a lot of speaking to a variety of organizations from Community leaders to elementary age children was an invaluable experience. The more times you're put in front of people the more comfortable you become. My experience gave me the confidence to pursue opportunities that may have once seemed impossible. When I won Miss Missouri Teen USA I was anything but a "pageant girl." The experience taught me to step out of my "comfort zone" and try new things.