Schmidt, a Jacksonville senior majoring in psychology, was the first runner-up to the new Miss Florida, Laura McKeeman, a St. Petersburg TV sportscaster.

Schmidt won $7,100 for being named runner-up and posting high scores in the preliminary talent, preliminary interview and newcomer-of-the-year categories.

Two other Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ students made it to the top 11 finalists chosen from the 43 contestants: Jerusha Cavazos of Celebration, a junior majoring in musical theatre who holds the title of Miss South Florida, and Meagan Cartaya of Homestead, a sophomore majoring in advertising and public relations who holds the title of Miss Homestead. Each earned $750.

If Schmidt had won the title, she would have followed in the footsteps of three other Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ students named Miss Florida: Kristina Janolo in 2011, Jacqueline Raulerson in 2010 and Rachael Todd in 2009.

Nine of the 43 contestants at the pageant in St. Petersburg were Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ students.

The new Miss Florida will advance to compete for the title of Miss America early next year.

The university is riding a streak of three consecutive Miss Florida titles held by students: currently Kristina Janolo, preceded by Jacqueline Raulerson in 2010 and Rachael Todd in 2009.

And in next week’s 2012 Miss Florida Scholarship Pageant, nine of the 43 contestants are Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ students – so perhaps the streak will extend to four titles.

Janolo, a marketing major from Kissimmee, will turn over the title to her successor at the conclusion of the July 4-7 pageant in St. Petersburg.

The new contestants from Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ have career ambitions that range from providing therapy for brain trauma patients, to becoming a CPA, to performing as a classical pianist.

They are:

Janolo, who is returning to Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ as a senior to complete her degree, said she is looking forward to going back to the classroom.

“I’m excited that the scholarships I’ve won through the Miss America organization will allow me to graduate debt-free,” she said. She won $35,000 for her education while participating in pageants for the past six years. “I look forward to crowning the next Miss Florida – maybe another Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ woman.”

The new Miss Florida will advance to compete for the title of Miss America. Janolo finished in the top 12 of the 2012 Miss America competition in Las Vegas.

“You don’t know what you’re made of until you stretch yourself,” she said. “I don’t know how I did it all. There is a lot of glitz and glamour – but it is a full-time job.” She made more than 250 official appearances during the year around the state, Washington, D.C., and other national destinations.

Janolo, a marketing major from Kissimmee, entered the Miss Florida Pageant as Miss Winter Park, and was a top-12 finalist last summer at the Miss America Pageant in Las Vegas. Come July 7, she’ll turn over her crown in St. Petersburg to the next chosen Miss Florida.

Janolo said it will be a “bittersweet moment to open a new chapter in my life.” She has competed in scholarship pageants for six years and has won $35,000 toward her education. Her term follows the reigns of two other Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ women to become Miss Florida: Rachael Todd in 2009 and Jacqueline Raulerson in 2010.

One of her top memories, she said, was getting the chance to lobby before legislators in Washington about the Everglades and her platform, America’s Wake Up Call – Protect Our Environment.

“The thing about protecting our environment is that it is a lifestyle. You just don’t promote it for a year. You have to live it,” she said.

Protecting the environment is important to her for another reason. As someone with chronic asthma, she is concerned about air quality.

“Often we don’t even think about it, but some days it is really a high risk to be outside,” she said. “Two years ago I started running to build up my lungs and ended up finding that I love it. I’ll be running my first half marathon in January.”

She also is an advocate for rights of the elderly and the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

“She has been our busiest Miss Florida to date,” said Mary E. Sullivan, executive director and president of Miss Florida Scholarship Pageant Inc.

“She lobbied in Washington and Tallahassee for clean water and preserving and restoring the Everglades, which went hand in hand with her platform. She has been an incredible representative of the Miss Florida program.”

Classes resume for Janolo next week after taking off the year for her pageant travels and duties. She re-enters the classroom as a senior and with the goal to one day be the executive director of a nonprofit organization. She is scheduled to graduate in May.

“The beauty of being Miss Florida is that it opened my eyes to so many things,” she said. “Now I have a year to focus on my degree.”

The finals were televised on ABC on January 14. Janolo was first called as a top 15 finalist and then as a top 12 finalist. Unfortunately, her journey ended there but she was successful in earning both recognition and scholarships to complete her education.

Janolo has returned to the Sunshine State to complete her reign as Miss Florida and was back at the Capital in Tallahassee immediately upon her return lobbying with the Florida Everglades Foundation on her platform, “America’s Wake-up Call—Protect Our Environment.” She will continue to make appearances with her platform and with the Children’s Miracle hospitals, the national philanthropy of the Miss America organization.

She has won more than $35,000 in scholarships during her participation in the Miss Florida program. After graduation, she hopes to work as an executive director for a nonprofit organization.

The pageant will be televised at 9 p.m. Saturday on ABC.  There will be 53 contestants — one from each state, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Janolo will sing during the talent portion of the competition.

The Miss America Organization last year made available more than $45 million in cash and scholarship assistance. The organization provides young women with an opportunity to further their personal and professional goals and instills a spirit of community service.

Janolo competed on the platform called CARE, Commitment to Always Remember the Elderly. She aspires to become the director of a nonprofit organization.

Two other Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ women were top ten finalists, Jacqueline Boehme, and Stephanie Ziajka.

It was a great year for Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ women with 11 students competing for the crown. Janolo is the third consecutive Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ă˝ woman to become Miss Florida, following Rachael Todd, Miss Florida 2009, and Jacqueline Raulerson, Miss Florida 2010.