Magen Ellis

Education

Ellis graduated from Whitehouse High School in 2004 and attends the University of Houston where she studies Spanish and communications.

Career

Mission Texas Teen United States of America

Ellis represented Texas in the Mission Teen United States of America pageant held in Palm Springs, California in August 2004. In 2002 and 2003, Ellis also competed alongside Cassandra Whitehead, who would gain notoriety when she quit America"s Next Top Model, Cycle 5. Mission Texas United States of America

In November 2004, Ellis passed on her crown to April Ford.

Only months later, Ellis competed in the Mission Texas United States of America pageant as Mission Fort Bend United States of America. Ellis placed in the top ten in that pageant, which was remarkable because of the large number of delegates and because she was relatively young (still eighteen).

Stewart had been first runner-up in the same competition the year before, and had placed first runner-up to that year"s Mission Houston United States of America, Lauren Lanning, in the 2006 Mission Texas United States of America pageant. Ellis competed in the Mission Texas United States of America 2007 pageant on 25 June 2006, at the Laredo Entertainment Center in Laredo, Texas, against 132 other delegates, and in a replay of the Mission Houston United States of America result, beat Stewart to take the crown.

She competed against many of the delegates she competed against as a Teen. Her victory comes less than three years after winning her Teen crown, and less than eighteen months since she passed the title on.

Mission United States of America 2007

Like her predecessor Lauren Lanning, she placed in the top 10.

Many fans thought she could have gone further but she received rather low scores in the swimsuit and evening gown competitions. Despite placing 6th in swimsuit and 9th in evening gown, she placed 8th overall.

Achievements

• Ellis is one of only four Mission Texas Teen United States of America titleholders to also win Mission Texas United States of America. Ellis" first major pageant win came in 2003 when she won the title Mission Texas Teen United States of America 2004. Ellis was already an experienced contestant when she won this title, as she had placed third runner-up in the 2002 pageant and was a semi-finalist in 2003. She had first won three local titles which gave her the opportunity to participate in the state pageant: City of Roses (2002), Tyler (2003 and 2004). She placed in the top fifteen of the nationally televised pageant, which was won by Shelley Hennig of Louisiana. In 2002, when Ellis placed third runner-up, one of the semi-finalists in that pageant was Lauren Lanning, who won the Mission Texas United States of America 2006 title and would crown Ellis as the new queen. Another 2002 semi-finalist was Tye Felan, who would win the Mission Texas Teen United States of America title and crown Ellis as Mission Texas Teen United States of America 2004. This was possible because Texas is one of the few Mission United States of America state pageants to be held in June, rather than in the usual pageant season which begins in August and runs until December. Ellis won the Mission Houston United States of America title in 2005, with Crystle Stewart placing as her first runner-up. However, Stewart would go on to win the title the following year and this time Ellis"s successor as Mission Houston United States of America, Brooke Daniels, placed 1st runner-up to Stewart. Ellis was the second consecutive Mission Houston United States of America to win the Mission Texas United States of America title, and was crowned by outgoing titleholder Lauren Lanning. She also won Mission Photogenic in the pageant, a title she had also been awarded as a Teen in 2004. Ellis is one of only four Mission Texas Teen USAs to win the Mission title. She is the second Mission Texas United States of America to win the title in a similar timeframe, following Nicole O"Brian who was Mission Texas Teen United States of America 2000 and Mission Texas United States of America 2003. Ellis competed for the title of Mission United States of America 2007 on March 23, 2007 at the Kodak Theatre.