Miss Lassen County lives a dream come true
Meet the new Miss Lassen County — Lassen High School senior and class president Autry Satica — the 17-year old daughter of Doug and Carrie Satica.
Ah, that joyous crowing moment when Autry Satica’s childhood dream finally comes true.“I am the first ever second-generation Miss Lassen County,” Satica proudly proclaims with a smile so broad one can hear it though the phone. But even bigger than that accomplishment — her victory in the recent Miss Lassen County Pageant fulfills a childhood dream— following in her mother’s footsteps as Miss Lassen County. The dream goes way, way back.
“I remember trying on Mom’s Miss Lassen County dress and her evening gown when I was probably about 4,” Satica said. “I remember thinking it was just the coolest thing, and ever since then I’ve wanted to run for Miss Lassen County. It’s crazy! It’s a reality now!”
But maybe it’s going to take a little longer for that reality to really sink in with her.
“I am honestly still in shock from winning,” Satica said. “I didn’t expect to win because I was so impressed with the other girls who were competing. I was like, oh my gosh, these girls are so amazing! So, I’m still in shock … I think this was one of the best groups to go through, and they’re so fun to be around.”
Satica said it’s extra special for her because two close friends join her in the court.
“Julia (Bias, Ambassadress) is one of my childhood friends, and Molly (Bettencourt, Princess) is one of my friends from church, so I get to hang out with them all year,” Satica said.
Mother and daughter — Autry Satica, Miss Lassen County 2020 and her mother Carrie Satica, a former Miss Lassen County.Most years the Miss Lassen County Pageant launches the Lassen County Fair, canceled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Satica said event coordinators Shelley Bennett and Genn Williams were determined to hold the pageant anyway. They came up with a plan, but it was rejected at the last minute. So they regrouped and pulled it off.
“We made it work,” Satica said. “The fact they made it happen without the fair was amazing.”
So did Satica feel some tingly jitters going into the pageant, trying to follow in her mom’s footsteps?
“It pushed me to try harder,” Satica said. “My mom walked up to me just before the pageant and said don’t worry, no pressure because I was Miss Lassen County — because everyone was saying it. I feel like before I was stressing out because I have to do good, because I want to be like my mom. That also made me push to be the best me I could be so I could follow in my mom’s footsteps. It’s something I’ve wanted to do forever — be just like my mom. My mom is my number one role model. It’s so nice being able to share this with her.”
It’s going to be a pretty busy year for the high school senior who also plays basketball and volleyball (she’s the captain of the volleyball team, of course) and also serves as class president, an elected office she’s held for all four years at Lassen High.
“Yep, it’s kinda crazy,” Satica said. “The class keeps electing me for some reason. It’s one thing I’m pretty proud of in high school. Being my class president.”
But Satica doesn’t think it’s because she’s the most popular girl in the school or anything like that. She thinks it’s because of the way she treats people.
“I try to be as kind as I can to everyone, and I try to be friends with everyone,” Satica said.
And that’s an attitude she thinks the whole world should follow and adopt.
“I refer to everything I do as leadership,” Satica said. “I talked about how I lead in my speech (Making a difference one starfish at a time) — you have to help one person at a time rather than trying to help everyone, and that’s what the clubs do for me, they give me the opportunity to help others. That’s what Miss Lassen County is doing for me — it’s giving me the opportunity and as I said (in my speech), the power of impact. It’s not power, it’s impactfulness. I have a way to impact kids in our county and that helps me help others. Our community can change so much if one person helps someone else. It’s the ripple effect.”
Last year during volleyball tryouts, Satica suffered an injury that kept her from playing sports all year. Some athletes might have been devastated, but not Satica.
“I always say that’s like my biggest moment in high school because I grew from it so much,” Satica said. “I changed my focus to Future Business Leader of America and my class, and I feel like it really made me focus on the things that are important. That’s what I’ve learned — the things in my life are the ones that are the most important to me and the worlds they hold.”
So how is she going to juggle all this?
“Being busy is my calling,” Satica said. “If I’m not busy I get stressed out. It’s kind of weird. Being busy keeps me going. When I’m not busy, I go crazy. It works out perfectly.”
Satica also thanked her sponsors Michelle Hunter, Farmers Insurance, and her uncle Mark’s Zaengles Carpet One Floor and Home.
“My sponsors did more than I could ever ask for,” Satica said. “Michelle sat down with me before the pageant and did a mock interview with me and listened to my speech. My aunt helped me look at my dresses and helped me figure out my jewelry.”
Her $1,000 scholarship sponsors are the Lassen Association of Realtors and Kirack Construction. Guess Plumbing sponsored her Community Service award.
