Had Blaire Pancake not listened to her friends, her life would be considerably different now.

Without their encouragement, she wouldn't have entered the Miss Metropolitan pageant last year. Or been awarded the title, qualifying her to participate in the Miss Tennessee Scholarship Competition, which she also won, becoming the first Miss Metropolitan to be named Miss Tennessee .

"(My friends) told me it would be good for me to do. I'm glad I listened to their advice. It's been a blessing."

A blessing, she acknowledges, that has made her life "incredibly hectic." Since being named Miss Tennessee (earning the title on her first attempt for it) in June, she's driven more than 16,000 miles across Tennessee and traveled outside the sate a number of times for appearances and speaking engagements. As a spokesperson for the National Exchange Club and Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee, "it's given me a wonderful opportunity to speak about child abuse prevention."

Also on her slate has been working with Gov. Phil Bredesen's staff on the Safe and Drug-Free Tennessee program (for which she also serves as spokesperson), attending juvenile justice and child abuse prevention conferences, participating in the Circle of Hope telethon, speaking at schools, and being named to Nashville Lifestyles magazine's list of the city's 25 Most Beautiful People (sharing the spotlight with such notables as singer-songwriter Chely Wright, Tennessee Titans tight end Erron Kinney, television host Courtney Hansen, and singer Carrie Underwood).

Recently returned from the West Coast and speaking by cell phone from Nashville, she took time to reflect on pageantry and her interests and concerns.

On being Miss Tennessee : "It's almost overwhelming at times. It's so much bigger than I knew going in. You're in a position to make a big difference in a lot of people's lives. You're a role model, and to some people you're a celebrity. Kids listen to you, and people pay attention to what you do and say. At a gas station or with a group of friends at a restaurant, there's not a moment when you're not Miss Tennessee. The title is so much bigger than the person is."

What's involved in preparing for a pageant? "Oh, where do you start? There's a lot of paperwork involved. They want to know a lot about your academic history. You have to get your wardrobe together and spend time getting into good shape, but the two main things to prepare for are the talent preliminary and the interview. The American public sees the evening wear and swimsuit preliminaries, but the interview and talent make up the two biggest portions." Blaire won the Miss Tennessee talent preliminary with her rendition of "I'm A Woman" from Smokey Joe's Café. "The interview is opinion-based, so you have to know a lot about a lot of things and know yourself very well. Some of it has to do with your platform, which for me means knowing a lot of details about child abuse and child abuse prevention. You never know what they're going to ask you, so you hope you've prepared well enough for anything they throw at you."

Once the pageant is over: "The glamour and prestige of Miss Tennessee is pretty relative. What we do is a job. A lot of people don't realize all the work we do and how much time is dedicated to it."

About Miss America : "The Miss America organization is a scholarship organization. It awards more scholarships to women than any other organization in the world. That's why it puts such strong emphasis on education and being able to speak to other people. They're definitely looking for a well-rounded person to be Miss America, someone intelligent and talented who can communicate well."

College: A 2005 summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Tennessee, she holds a degree in anthropology with a focus on archaeology. "I was a nerd growing up. I was always interested in ancient history and what the people were like." She's participated in three archaeological digs, including one at Brimstone Hill Fortress on St. Kitts.

How her concern for victims of child abuse developed: While tutoring younger students as part of a high school community service program, she noticed something different about one of the girls she was working with. "Her behavior changed, her grades dropped, and I began noticing signs of physical abuse. I didn't know what to do." The desire to help her younger friend led to her learning about and becoming involved with abuse prevention initiatives.

The Pancakes 4 Kids benefit breakfasts: The first, hosted in Chattanooga shortly after Blaire was named Miss Tennessee, raised more than $6,000 for Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee. Subsequent events have been held in Jackson and Nashville, and "hopefully, after January, I'll be taking them nationwide. That's the hope. If not, we'll continue to work here in Tennessee."

Advice she appreciated: "If you can dream it, you can become it. A friend who lost her son in Iraq gave it to me before I went to Miss Tennessee. If a girl whose last name is Pancake can become Miss Tennessee, it's definitely true that if you can dream it, you can become it."

How she describes herself: "Adaptable, laid-back, and passionate about the things that matter to me."

Blaire Pancake Style: "Simple and elegant. I tend to like things that don't go out of style, but I like to be bold at the same time."

Her leisure time: "I don't get a lot of it. I travel a lot, but when I'm not on the road I like to chill out, listen to music, and relax with family and friends."

Her taste in music: "I like a little bit of everything, but blues is my all-time favorite. Being a Tennessee girl, I also like country and rock. Those are my favorite types of music, and that's what you'll find in my iPod." Among her favorite performers are Carrie Underwood, Wynonna Judd, Big & Rich, Eric Clapton, and Keith Urban. "He's a cutie."

Miss Tennessee on auto racing: "I've never been a NASCAR fan. I thought it was just cars driving really fast around in a circle." That changed when, soon after being named Miss Tennessee, she presided over pre-race ceremonies as grand marshal of the Craftsman Truck Series O'Reilly 200 in Memphis . "I'm looking forward to going to one again. It was really cool. I wanted to drive one of the cars, but since I've never driven a stick shift, they convinced me that it wasn't a good idea."