Shannon L. Ford, Miss Miami USA, won the title of Miss Florida USA 2002 on July 14th, 2001. Ford was crowned the 51st Miss Florida USA in the two hour Miss Florida USA 2002 pageant broadcast live through out Florida and seen via satellite by viewers overseas.
Ford, 25, is a graduate of Florida International University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and is currently a human resources director for Mellon Financial Corporation. Ms. Ford is dedicated to working with many different types of people and her goal is to one day manage her own human resources division utilizing the skills. she has learned in psychology and business.
In addition to leading a professional life, Ford is also a Miami Dolphins Cheerleader and an accomplished athlete who enjoys horseback riding, dancing, and kick-boxing. For Ford, being a Dolphins Cheerleader has not only given her an opportunity to be involved with sports and dancing, but she joins an international team of diverse women pursuing many different careers. According to Ford, however, being Miss Florida USA means new responsibilities. A member of the National Alliance for the Mentally III (NAMI), Ford's personal message is that of spreading depression awareness.
Depression affects 9.9 million Americans each year, and because the number of depressed women is particularly high, Ford would like to use her position as a role model to young women to help people suffering from the illness to get help. "I would like to use my time as Miss Florida USA to travel around the state talking to teenagers about how to get help for depression," Ford announced shortly after being crowned. Traveling around the state will also give Ford opportunities to make appearances for many other charities, an aspect of the Pageant that Ford is especially committed to.
As Miss Florida USA 2002, Ms. Ford will also represent the State of Florida in the nationally televised Miss USA Pageant and enjoy a three-week-long, all-expense-paid trip to Gary, Indiana as she competes to represent the nation in the Miss Universe Pageant.
Ford includes preparation for this once-in-a-lifetime event on her list of priorities this year. "The Miss USA Pageant is an exciting place to show how much I've achieved and to represent the very best state, Florida," said this Florida-native who has always taken great pride in the beauty and diversity of her state.
Having the opportunity to spend the year visiting many different parts of Florida is another perk of being Miss Florida USA that Ford says she's looking forward to. According to the Pageant Executive Producer Grant Gravitt, Jr., "the experience of being Miss Florida USA is an opportunity for many women to grow and learn about the world." "The Pageant is really about giving young women a chance to see and meet people that they would otherwise not be able to reach out to," continues Gravitt. "After living a year as Miss Florida USA and seeing the state and the rest of the country, the titleholder gets a kind of experience that is irreplaceable."
The new Miss Florida USA will also enjoy a number of other awards and prizes from a collection of prestigious sponsors, including Carroll's Jewelers, Scala, Debbrah's Couture Creations, Bijoux Terner Jewelry, Regalia, Ritchie Swimwear, Don Baker Interview Coaching, Photography by Bob Lasky and life skills leadership from Gove-Siebold Group of Boynton Beach. The Miss Florida USA 2002 Pageant showcased 41 contestants from all over the state and featured hosts Louie Aguirre of Deco Drive, Miss Florida USA 1996 Idalmis Vidal, Miss Florida USA 2000 Kristin Ludecke, and Miss Florida USA 2001 Julie Donaldson, who proudly passed on the Miss Florida USA crown to a tearful Ford.
Tel-Air's involvement with Miss Florida USA began in 1979 with the live television production of Miss Florida USA and has been a television staple ever since. Under the leadership of Pageant Director Mary Lou Gravitt, Miss Florida USA is regarded as the premier state pageant in the Miss USA System.
Tel-Air Interests, Inc. is recognized as one of the innovators in Pageant Telecasting. From 1960 until 1987, Tel-Air co-founder Grant Gravitt, Sr. was part of the CBS Production Team that created the Miss Universe television show. Since then, he has traveled throughout the United States and the world televising pageants from some of the world's most exotic locations. The Tel-Air production team had been responsible for some of the most exciting segments of the national and international telecasts as well as documentaries for NASCAR and Sears, and commercial Work for General Motors and the classic "Takes a licking and keeps on ticking" for Timex. Throughout the years such projects have included commissioned work for governments, music videos, political campaigns, live sports programming, and other groundbreaking production work.