Kendall Runyan is a cheerleader, does volunteer nonprofit work setting up free Little Lending Libraries, is a sophomore at Central Kitsap High School and is now the newly crowned International United Miss Junior Teen.

The 15-year-old girl from Silverdale has been involved in pageants since she was 7, gradually making her way up the totem pole of pageantry while also finding success as an AP honors student and varsity cheerleader. She had previously been awarded the top spot for state titles on four occasions before representing the state in the annual IUM pageant in Orlando, Fla.

“I was so excited for her,” Kendall’s mother, Adrienne, said about the moment her daughter won the title. “My friends were making fun of me because I was jumping up and down; very uncharacteristic of me, a very reserved person.”

Not only did Kendall break through July 15 for her first international title, her performance was historic. In her one-on-one interview, the largest portion of a contestant’s score, she became just the second contender to receive perfect marks in that segment of IUM’s history.

Adrienne compared the process to when “a detective is taking witness statements. Each witness sees something different, hence their statements are different. To have five judges each say she was perfect is so unusual.”

Kendall is set to add an entire calendar of IUM events to her schedule on top of her studies. This also piles on top of her work with Little Lending Libraries and volunteering to promote early literacy, a mission that is part of her Read to Achieve platform.

Adrienne said Kendall can handle it as she is a natural multitasker. “I honestly don’t know how she does it. It seems like she never studies, yet even with cheer, volunteering and making appearances as IUM Washington Junior Teen, she still finished her freshman year with a 3.96 (grade point average). Most teachers post assignments online now, so keeping up with assignments on the road will not be a problem.”