Accent

Bright beauty hoping to KO the competition

Her résumé alone is enough to knock you out: cum laude Harvard graduate with a degree in astronomy and astrophysics, classical violinist, research technician for a cancer research center in Seattle. And that's before you get to the part about her victory in this year's Tacoma, Wash., Golden Gloves women's boxing tournament. And - oh yeah. On Saturday, Allison Porter, 24, already crowned Miss Washington, will compete in the Miss America contest in Atlantic City, N.J. (8 p.m., ABC). Is she nervous? Not a chance. Despite all she's got to brag about, she's humble, too. "I'm guessing it will be not unlike my first semester at Harvard," she said. "The women there are all unbelievably talented." Porter plans to attend the University of Washington School of Medicine. Her career goal: to become a physician working with the medically underserved, either internationally or at home. She'll be well-prepared, according to her résumé, which also lists volunteer work at an orphanage for handicapped children in Calcutta and medical rotations in internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology and surgery in Ecuador. Under interesting facts on her official biography, she writes: "In Ecuador, I was hospitalized with malaria, but thankfully recovered." She's also a scuba diver and has co-written a textbook, "Immunogenetics of Autoimmune Disease." It's no wonder that, asked to name a weakness, she admits to not getting enough sleep. While at Curtis High School in Tacoma, Porter was named Daffodil Queen. But even with that experience behind her, she spent two years researching the Miss America organization before deciding to enter the competition. It's no place for airheads, she insists. "Miss America attracts women who are well-rounded, intelligent and talented," she said. Even the evening gown competition is more about grace and personality than looks, she says. She said that half the competition points are awarded for interviews, both on and offstage, with the judges. And so far, she says, the interviewers for Miss America have been a lot tougher than the screeners for medical school. Porter's proud parents say she was an amazing, active child from Day One. "From the moment she was born, she was willing and able to learn," says her mom, Bonnie. "She always wanted to experience life." Allison's dad, Mike, jokes that what makes his daughter special is "genetics." But then, he strikes a more serious note: "She's God's gift to us. She's incredible." He said Allison was always self-driven. Whether it was music, school work or sports, she always wanted to excel, her parents say. "We never had to ask her to do one lesson," Mike said. Allison doesn't try to explain her many talents and eclectic interests. But it's clear her natural curiosity has served her well. Case in point: She got into boxing by way of soccer. At Harvard, she tried to walk on to the varsity soccer team. In a rare moment of failure, she didn't make it, and had to settle for junior varsity status. Instead of wallowing in defeat, she took it as a sign that she needed to get in better shape. "I went to the gym every day to work out," she recalled. Each day, on her way to the treadmill, she would pass a room full of boxers, both men and women. Soon, she was president of the Harvard Boxing Club. She found amateur boxing a great way to keep in shape. And statistically, she said, it's safer than soccer. "We're so careful with safety," she said. "We wear headgear. Our gloves are bigger, with more padding (than pro boxers). And the referees are very protective." Porter has heard all the boxing-beauty queen puns - how she'll KO the competition in Atlantic City, she'll punch out Miss Virginia's lights if she doesn't win, and on and on. But she's not annoyed. "I think they're kind of cute," she says, grinning. One Miss America tradition involves the Boardwalk Parade of contestants. Porter has chosen to wear a silk and rhinestone-trimmed boxing costume for the parade. She's got a sense of humor about the rest of the pageant as well. For the talent portion of the competition, she played her violin, the first movement of Felix Mendelssohn's "Concerto in E Minor." For the occasion, she wore a dazzling strapless scarlet gown with a full skirt that cascades in tiered pleats around her bantamweight figure. Her name for the elegant dress: "Big Red."