SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis senior Samantha Gallia is not afraid to try something new. Whether it is cross country or one of her many extra-curricular activities, she toes the line and gives it her all. When it came to the Miss Teen Placer County competition, she was in it for the experience. She got that and much more.

“I was really surprised I won,” said Gallia. “I did my best in everything but coming in I did not know half of things I needed to do. It was really special for me to win especially with all the other girls in the competition. I made a lot of great friends and it has provided a lot of great opportunities of things to do this year.”

The first will include competing for Miss Teen California United States in May.

“We are very proud to have Sam as part of our pageant family,” said Nicole Mutka of Kennedy Pageant Productions. “She has represented us very well.  She represents what we are all about: confidence, helping the community, striving towards excellence, and she is a great role model for the younger girls to look up to.  With this title, she will be competing for Miss California United States this May.”

Gallia had never entered a pageant and had no idea what was entailed. She expected to be able to compete in the essay contest and business interview, while the evening gown walk and opening dance would take some work.

“I did not win any of areas I thought I had a remote chance of winning,” said Gallia. “The others I did.”

She won the evening gown walk, Miss Congeniality (voted by all the girls), best interview and best swim suit.

“Nobody looks good in a one-piece suit so it was all about confidence,” said Gallia.

Confidence is something Gallia has developed in her activities and her pageant experience has had a ripple effect into her life.

“I know how to get myself across to other people in a really successful way,” said Gallia, who is the third Troubadour to earn the title over the last four years (Alecia Clark in 2013, Taylor Kandris in 2012).

Gallia will represent the pageant with personal appearances and by participating in events like the Walking Angels pageant for special needs kids and others associated with her chosen platform.

Samantha’s platform is the Save Ourselves Breast Cancer Organization in honor of her grandma who was diagnosed with metastatic cancer in 2010 and is still fighting the disease.  She is planning a bowling event in early 2016 to benefit the Susan G Koman Foundation and the Saving Ourselves organization.

“In reality there is treatment that can extend their lives and my grandma has been living with this for four years,” said Gallia. “The treatment is so expensive. Part of the money from the bowling event will go to her SOS group.”

Gallia has attacked her cross country with much the same passion and lack of fear.

 “Cross country has been a really special part of my St. Francis experience. Like the pageant, it was something I really had to work on. I started running in seventh or eighth grade on Oak Hill racing. I was literally the last person to come in in my first three races.”

Gallia, who aspires to be a dentist or an oral surgeon, will run at the Sac-Joaquin Subsection meet on Saturday in Angels Camp.

“I am not a naturally good athlete and my parents both run marathons,” said Gallia, who ran a full marathon last year with her brother. “I am really grateful that my mom introduced me to running. If she hadn’t I would never have tried it. I have been able to prove to myself that I can do things even when I am not naturally good at it.”

Among Gallia’ numerous achievements at the school include serving as the SBO Campus Minister this year.

“My faith is really embedded in everything I do: the sports, school and the pageant,” said Gallia. “I am really open about my faith and I like to share that with people in everything I do.”

She also started the Dental Divas Club. For now though she has a race to run on Saturday and a pageant next spring.

“It has been such a blessing here at St. Francis because I have been able to prove to myself that I can do things,” said Gallia.