REDMOND – Jessica Carlson will return to her graduate studies in biology at Portland State University this week and drop a bomb on her advisor, Dr. Randy Zelick.

She said the professor doesn’t approve of beauty pageants, so Carlson never told him she was spending the weekend competing for the title of Miss Oregon USA.

”Now I will have to tell him,” she said with a laugh.

The 23-year-old beat out 25 other contestants from across the state to win the coveted, rhinestone-studded crown Sunday at Eagle Crest Resort, near Redmond.

Jenna Jones was crowned Miss Oregon Teen USA in the equivalent event for teens 18 and younger.

Carlson will represent Oregon in the Miss USA pageant next spring. And if she wins the national title, she will attempt to become Miss Universe.

With a bachelor’s degree under her belt and a masters on the way, the former high school valedictorian is not your stereotypical beauty queen.

Carlson sits on the board of directors for the Portland Metro Performing Arts. And her research on the auditory systems of Cuban tree frogs – or ”frog hearing,” to put it simply – should be published in a scientific journal early next year.

”Power to the science nerd brunettes in pageant-land,” Carlson said with a laugh.

Wearing false eyelashes and a blue velvet evening gown Sunday night, it is hard to imagine that later this week, Carlson will return to work standing over cadavers to teach anatomy and physiology labs to Portland State University undergrads.

The leggy brunette started competing in beauty pageants a few years ago because she needed some scholarship money and because ”it just looked like fun.”

”And also, if you can walk on stage in front of hundreds of people in a swimsuit, you can do anything,” she said. ”It takes a lot of nerve to say I don’t care what you think, I feel good about who I am, and how I look.’ It forces you to be comfortable with who you are.”

Carlson spent about six years of her childhood living in Redmond. She attended Morningstar Christian School, in Bend, and started her extensive ballet studies at the Central Oregon School of Ballet.

Of the 47 contestants in both age groups – Miss Oregon USA and Miss Oregon Teen USA, 10 hailed from Central Oregon.

They were Cassandra Andersch of Redmond, Lisa Baert of Bend, Cassie Sanders of Prineville, Kyrie Shatka of Bend, Jennifer Winston of Bend, Danae DeSpain of Bend, Tayler Hinds of Bend, Holly Kupets of Terrebonne, Danielle Milton of Tumalo and Jennifer Poore of Sisters.

Until this year, all of the statewide pageants were held in Portland.

Next year’s Miss Oregon USA pageants will again take place at Eagle Crest, said Carol Lukens, who co-directed the event with her husband, Bert.

”You couldn’t get this kind of support in Portland,” Lukens said, referring to Central Oregon businesses that she says were eager to help sponsor the pageant.

Awbrey Dental Group, of Bend, for example, provided each contestant with a $250 teeth whitening service.

”Smaller towns really embrace this pageant,” said Kimberly Takla, who was named Miss Oregon USA in 1986 and currently holds the title of Mrs. Oregon International. ”There’s not as much support in Portland, because there’s so much going on.”

Takla, who co-emceed the event, said she thinks Redmond is a perfect home for the pageant.

That’s good news for Redmond, according to Molly Cogswell-Kelley, events coordinator for the Redmond Chamber of Commerce.

Cogswell-Kelley estimated that the event lured about 200 families from outside of Central Oregon.

”That has a tremendous impact on the Redmond economy,” she said.

Lily Raff can be reached at 541-617-7836 or lraff@bendbulletin.com.