By AMY JONES / Associate Editor

HOOVER — When Danielle Dubose finished playing “Malagueña,” a Spanish dance piece, on the piano at the state Junior Miss competition, she knew she had done well.

However, Dubose had no idea just how much she had impressed the judges. She found out when she was named Alabama’s 2011 Junior Miss at the conclusion of the competition Jan. 15.

“I totally wasn’t expecting it,” said Dubose, a senior at Spain Park High School. “Junior Miss is the cream of the crop. I just hope I can represent the program well and help it grow.”

She will represent Alabama in the national Junior Miss competition, to be held June 25 in Mobile. However, she will travel to Mobile June 12 and stay through the competition to spend time with the other young women in the competition.

“It should be a really great experience,” she said.

Dubose said she decided to participate in the Junior Miss program because Junior Miss promotes scholarship and character.

“It’s a really great experience for the interview experience, because I know I’ll have a lot of job interviews,” she said. “Anytime you’re performing, you gain confidence and experience that can be used for the future.”

Dubose said she won $12,000 in scholarship money at the state competition in addition to the $7,000 she had already won as part of the Junior Miss program. Dubose won the 2011 Shelby County Junior Miss pageant.

She said she will use the scholarship money towards a degree in political science and accounting from the University of Alabama.

“(The money) makes me feel much better about college,” she said, laughing.

Dubose said she eventually wants to attend law school at Alabama.