One on One with Dominick Fink: Miss District of Columbia Teen USA 2014

The newly crowned Miss District of Columbia Teen USA® 2014 is 17-year old Dominick Fink, a Freshman at Old Dominion University where she is pursuing a Bachelors of Arts degree in Dance. She is a member of Kappa Delta sorority and a dancer for the Old Dominion University Dynasty Dance Team. Dominick is a former student at the Governor’s School for the Performing Arts and a graduate of Western Branch High School, where her classmates voted her, “Most Likely To Be Famous.” In addition, she served as the Anchor for the school’s morning news program.

Dominick spends her spare time giving back to the community in which she received the President’s Outstanding Volunteer Service Award for performing more than 4,100 of community service and was featured in Virginia Teacher Magazine for her work with HUGS (Helping Girls Succeed), a mentoring organization for young girls which she founded. With her leadership and vision, the organization has donated school supplies to more than 600 students the in the D.C. area and as Miss District of Columbia Teen USA 2014, she hopes to take that number into the thousands.

Dominick had to overcome adversity at a very young age. When she was just 12, Dominick was diagnosed with a Cholesteatoma in her ear drum and had to undergo several surgeries to remove, repair and reconstruct her inner ear using a titanium rod. The surgeries successfully removed the Cholesteatoma but left her impaired with a conductive hearing loss that will require her to wear a hearing aid for the rest of her life. Her dreams of becoming a professional dancer had to be placed on hold. She lost the ability to hear music like other dancers while suffering from balance and coordination issues related to hearing loss. During the recovery process she would sit in the dance studio and try to memorize the 8 counts without dancing. Within a few months, she was back in the studio training through private instruction in attempt to regain the skills she had lost. Two years after the first surgery she auditioned for the Governor’s School of the Performing Arts and was accepted as a ballet major and has not stopped dancing ever since.

When she graduated a year early from High School, she had two goals, one is to step on the Miss Teen USA stage and compete for the ultimate teen title, in which she will do next summer in the Bahamas and the other is to become a Washington Redskins Cheerleader, in which she will be trying out for the squad next Spring.

In her spare time, Dominick enjoys kayaking, watching Net Flix movies and, online shopping for the perfect pair of shoes!

Of being crowned Miss District of Columbia Teen USA 2014, Dominick states, “This is truly a dream come true! I cannot wait to continue to work within the community that I know and love and proudly represent the District at Miss Teen USA, with dreams of bringing the National title home. I hope to make everyone proud by making a difference in the lives of others and give back even more than I ever thought possible.”

Dominick will represent the District of Columbia in the Miss Teen USA® pageant, in the Summer of 2014.

HUGS (Helping Girls Succeed) to date I have donated more than 600 tote bags full of school supplies to students in need while providing mentorship to thousands of students throughout the DMV area.

I’ve never experinced bullying but I have dealt with negative peer pressure. I maintained a very open relationship with my parents and was able to go to them for advice. I learned that by surrounding yourself with positive people who shared similar goals, you could change the outcome of just about any situation.