Local Teen Pageant Winner Hoping To Grab Attention At Statewide Level

It’s hard not to like Amber Scheller. The 16-year-old Valley resident wears a permanent smile and her eyes sparkle with the hope of becoming the next Miss Teen Washington.

In September, Scheller won the Miss Teen Spokane contest. In about a month, she’ll head to Redmond, Wash., where she’ll compete for the state title.

She’s too busy to fret about the contest, though. When not fighting with her sister over who borrowed whose clothes, Scheller works at a local day care and as a private nanny for a Valley family.

And there’s always shopping to keep her occupied.

“I can spend my whole paycheck in one day at the mall,” she said with giggles. “I love to buy clothes.”

So does her constant shopping companion and one of her closest pals, Melike Graff. The two girls go to NorthTown every chance they get.

“Every time we’re on the freeway, we look over at the Valley mall,” she said. “We call it our mall.”

The tall and slender blue-eyed beauty has dreams far beyond shopping in little ol’ Spokane. She wants to move to Georgia “because it’s always hot there.”

And be a model so she can travel all around the country. And be a child psychologist.

“I used to watch a little boy who was so neglected by his mom,” she said. “She would just up and leave him with me for weeks at a time. After that, I thought I want to put a stop to all of that.”

Aside from her dreams of relocating, Scheller is pretty happy with her life. She likes spending time with her boyfriend, Travis, going to his soccer games or doing step aerobics. She also squeezes in time to watch her favorite TV shows: “ER,” “Party of Five” and “Days of Our Lives.”

While the University High School junior admits that school doesn’t come easy to her, she really digs the auto mechanics class she’s taking.

Miss Teen Spokane with oil on her hands?

Yup. “I don’t mind,” she said. “It’s fun to learn stuff like that. How to change your oil or tires and how to check (your) antifreeze.”

For now, she’s getting ready for the state Miss Teen contest. Scheller is trying to convince area banks, hair salons and hospitals to sponsor her. She said she is having a tough time raising the $495 entry fee so that she can represent Spokane at the November competition.

But she’s not too worried. She’s too excited about the dress she’ll wear at the contest. Graff’s mother is making Scheller a black-and-white Donna Karan sheath that she just loves.

The girl who adores “anything with cows on it” hopes she’ll get to be Washington’s teen beauty queen. It’ll help her make some of those dreams of being a model and traveling throughout America come true.

“It’s all new,” she said. “People here say, ‘Oh wow, I want to go to Riverfront Park.’ It’s like, ‘Oh geez.’ There’s so much more.”

Oh, and one dream she almost forgot to mention: she wants to have twins. Some day.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo

MEMO: Saturday’s People is a regular Valley Voice feature profiling remarkable individuals in the Valley. If you know someone who would be a good profile subject, please call editor Mike Schmeltzer at 927-2170.