The titleholder: A senior with a 4.4 GPA at Soddy Daisy High School, Hannah is the daughter of John and Desiree Daniels Disterdick. She’s the second Chattanooga area Junior Miss titleholder to win the state title in 10 years and the first from Soddy Daisy to be named Tennessee Junior Miss in 35 years. “That’s pretty cool.”

Her platform: Be Your Best Self. “It promotes to children the different aspects of being a well-rounded person, such as fitness, goals, and serving your community.” She’s also working with County Mayor Claude Ramsey to promote the Step One fitness program in local schools. “You walk so many steps a day, and that educates children about exercise, health, and nutrition. Obesity is such a common problem among children these days, and this program going into effect is a really cool way to fight it.”

The America’s Junior Miss Scholarship program: “They really want a girl who knows herself and what she believes it. Academics is the most important part of it, and any girl involved will tell you that it’s a lot of hard work. It’s not just about the time spent on stage. You’ve got to be willing to work hard and do your best.”

School activities: She’s a cross-country runner and co-president of the student body. “I’ve been really involved in the student council. We organize a lot of events and do a lot of things for the school. I was in band for two years, but it got to be too much.” She still plays her saxophone occasionally.

College: “I love the Nashville area, so I’m looking at Vanderbilt or Belmont, but I’m not sure yet. I love to dance, and there’s not a lot of that offered in Tennessee.”

Her career path: Her love of math and science leads her to the medical field. She’s interested in holistic medicine (“I think it’s going to be really big in the future”) but is leaning more toward dentistry. “I’d love to help people brighten their smiles. I think smiles are very important.”

On dance: “As an outlet for children, it’s a great way to establish your identity. People do that in different ways, like sports. Dance is good for that too, and even if you play sports, dance takes discipline, so it can help your game. It’s really helped me a lot in everything.” She’s been involved in dance programs (including the Chattanooga Ballet Company) for 12 years and teaches it to children ages three to six. “They love it. They find themselves in dance. I’d love to see it in public schools. I think it would be a great thing to implement.”

Her favorite type of dance: “I love jazz, but ballet is the core of all dance. If you can do it, you can do just about anything.”

For fun: “Reading, hanging out, and going downtown with my friends. I love downtown.”

What she likes to read: Classics (“The Great Gatsby was good.”) and Christian fiction (“It’s inspirational, and you always learn something from it.”).

How she describes herself: “Intelligent, self-motivated, real.”

Hannah Disterdick Style: “Casual. I like being comfortable. I know some people find it comfy to dress up, but I can only do it so many times a month.”

The best advice she ever received: “To be yourself. I guess my pet peeve is not doing what you were created for and not living up to your potential. I try to live up to my best and be myself. My mom always taught me that.”