Feb 19, 2004

Hometown Heroine
Almaden’s Ellen Chapman chases a dream and captures the MISS CALIFORNIA USA 2004 crown

By Kymberli W. Brady
Staff Writer

At some point in every girl’s life, the dream of becoming a beauty queen lies just beneath the surface—hidden under scraped knees, bruised elbows and Barbie doll reenactments. For one Almaden lady, that dream has come true.

Born and raised in San Jose, 22-year-old Ellen Chapman became the 53rd MISS CALIFORNIA USA 2004 during a Labor Day telecast last September. In addition to receiving a diamond crown ring, signature pendant and competition wardrobe, she takes home $5,000 in cash, along with an all-expense paid trip to the MISS USA Pageant, which will be televised live on NBC in April.

Chapman remembers feeling a sense of peace during the moments leading up to the announcement. “I was standing there holding the other girl’s hand and decided in my heart that what ever God had planned for me was fine,” she says. “When I won, I kept saying, ‘are you kidding me?’ It was just too real to understand.”

“I was so excited,” remembers her mother Beezie. “I just stood up with my arms in the air and said thank you. It still brings tears to my eyes when I think about it.”

Along with her parents Richard and Beezie, and siblings Daniel and Sarah, Chapman has called Almaden home since she was 8 years old—attending Guadalupe Elementary School and Dartmouth Middle School before becoming active in sports and the Student Council at Valley Christian High School. The 5-foot 10 brown-eyed brunette played power forward and center on the varsity basketball team and initially had her goals set on an athletic scholarship until her counselor, Dr. Toroe, handed her an application for the MISS CALIFORNIA TEEN Pageant—saying she would be a good candidate for the crown. Chapman claims that the scholarship opportunities piqued her interest and she entered the competition.

“Basketball was my true love,” she admits. “I wasn’t used to being in this type of light, but it was fun. The girls were great and it allowed me to meet a lot of people I wouldn’t have met otherwise.”

Not only did Chapman win the competition, the scholarship that accompanied it gave her a five-year free ride to Sonoma State University. “It was an incredible blessing,” she adds.

Officially bitten by the beauty pageant bug, Chapman went on to capture the title of Miss San Francisco Bay Area USA, which landed her a spot in the MISS CALIFORNIA USA competition. “I developed a big passion for it,” she admits. “Just like anything, the more you practice, the better you get.”

Now a neighborhood celebrity, admittedly one of Chapman’s fondest experiences remains riding in the Montevideo Fourth of July Parade for two years. Although she currently resides in Rohnert Part, her family still calls Montevideo Drive home.

With a flurry of new responsibilities that accompanied the title, Chapman found time to continue her education, while making appearances and working part time on the weekends. In December, she graduated from Sonoma State University with a bachelor of arts degree in American multicultural studies and is currently working on her teaching credentials to become an elementary school teacher.

While at Sonoma State, Chapman participated in extensive leadership training and was the social chair for her sorority. She was selected as the community services advisor for 56 SSU freshman. Additionally, she was on the Dean’s List, received the Chancellor’s Quest for Excellence Award, and is a California Scholarship Federation life member.

Although things have calmed down academically, Chapman admits that she now has more time to fulfill the obligations of her crown and prepare for the MISS USA Pageant. “They keep me busy,” she says.

While MISS TEENAGE CALIFORNIA, Chapman started a charity called Beanies Babies, delivering Beanie Babies, either from her personal collection or from donors to children at Stanford Hospital and the Lucile Packard Foundation. “It’s enabled us to bring a little light to children who are terminally ill,” she states. “It lets them know that someone cares about them with a happy face and a warm smile. This gives them something to remember me by.”

Research and applying time management techniques have helped Chapman achieve a plethora of academic and personal goals. “I think she comes at it naturally,” boasts her father, Richard Chapman. “She’s always been very goal oriented and always focused on something she wanted to accomplish one step at a time. This is just another step for her, and she’s looking forward to it. We are very proud of her.”

According to Chapman, Martin Luther King remains her role model in that he continues to serve as an inspiration for change. “He did what he did in a peaceful manner in order to effect change,” she explains. “I really admire that.”

During a Valentine’s Day appearance at the Almaden Valley Athletic Club last week, Chapman signed autographs and posed for photos with several pint-size beauty pageant wannabees—part of a statewide tour to promote Breast Cancer Awareness, the MISS USA Pageant’s official charity. She will also appear as a spokesperson around the country for Sun-Maid Growers of California, promoting the company’s raisin products as healthy snack food for children and adults.

One of Chapman’s many other passions lies in speaking to elementary school children in an effort to motivate them to set goals. “That’s always something I did with my life,” she admits. “Even at a young age, I was setting them for myself—setting the bar one level up from that of my peers because I wanted to excel. I believe that if you teach kids to do that earlier, then maybe it will help curb all the dangers they could get into and focus them in the direction of more positive things.”

If her record of successes continues and she is crowned MISS USA, Chapman will spend a year living in Trump Tower in New York, working on breast cancer awareness. She will also go on to represent the United States in the MISS UNIVERSE Pageant.

The MISS CALIFORNIA USA and MISS USA Pageants are produced annually in a joint partnership with Donald J. Trump and NBC. The MISS USA Pageant will air on NBC April 12 in a live telecast from the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles. Chapman will be California’s official state representative.

Emblazoned on each photo she signs are the words, “Dream big.” It is a motto Chapman strives to live for every day. “Don’t let little bumps in the road cause you to deter from your dreams,” she says. “If I had allowed them to stop me, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”