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Bruce Hindi doesn’t miss an opportunity to brag about his daughters. “All three are knock-outs,” he said.

But they’re much more than that. He also describes his youngest daughter, Lauren, as someone with a good head on her shoulders who is very kind-hearted, humble and sweet.

Those qualities and her beauty carried Lauren through to win the Miss Minnesota Teen USA crown last November and now she is gearing up for the Miss Teen USA competition in August.

The Hindis, who live in Linwood Township near Stacy, are not new to the pageant scene. Older sister Talia competed in the Miss Teen USA pageant last year and was named first runner-up.

This year, it was Lauren’s turn, although it didn’t start out that way.

“Talia was all set to compete again, she was really looking forward to it,” Bruce said. “But they changed the rules and she was three days too old to make the cutoff.”

Meanwhile, Lauren, who will be a junior this year at Forest Lake High School, wasn’t even thinking of entering the contest.

“She didn’t want to do it,” Bruce said. Mostly because of her older sister, Lauren attended modeling school through Premier Modeling in the Twin Cities. She graduated just to say she did it, he went on, but still had no plans to pursue modeling or enter any pageants.

At the graduation, several people from the agency told Lauren she should enter the pageant and she was finally convinced.

She went on to defeat 76 other pageant contestants as she was judged in the swimsuit, evening gown and interview categories.

Along with the title of Miss Minnesota Teen USA, Lauren won a $1,000 cash prize, a trip to “Eagle U” – a self-improvement, self-growth seminar in California – and other small prizes.

She attended the seminar the end of June, fitting it in among her numerous summer appearances. She was part of a parade in Grand Forks, ND and parades in Forest Lake and Stacy.

Now Lauren is ready to take on contestants from across the U.S. in the national competition, set for August 8 in Baton Rouge, LA. Bruce said he isn’t sure what the Miss Teen USA winner receives, but he knows it is a busy year for the winner. “It involves traveling the U.S. and internationally I believe,” he said.

As for Lauren, she won’t be heart-broken if she doesn’t win the national contest. Bruce said she isn’t one of those pageant winners who walks around wearing her sash and crown. “She didn’t let it go to her head,” he said. “She won’t be devastated if she doesn’t win. She’s still humble and sweet.”

Hindi is one of three state winners on a Web site featuring pageant winners from the Midwest, www.futureproductions.net. Other pageant information is at www.missteenusa.com.

In her free time, Lauren enjoys riding her four-wheeler and riding motorcycle with her dad.

The Miss Teen USA pageant will air August 8 on NBC.

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