LAS VEGAS — When the brights lights and cameras turn on for Sunday night’s opening dance number at the 2010 Miss USA pageant in Las Vegas, 51 contestants from across the country will be on full display in front of millions of people on NBC at 7 p.m.

Rima Fakih being crowned Miss Michigan in Port Huron in 2009.

But what many TV viewers won’t see behind the confident, easy-going smiles and dazzling evening gowns are the countless hours of preparation and work that go into being a pageant queen, something contestant Rima Fakih knows as well as anyone. For Fakih, the 24-year-old Lebanese American and Dearborn resident, preparing for a run at the Miss USA crown since winning the Miss Michigan title in September 2009 has been a full-time job, even while staying at the lavish Planet Hollywood vacation resort where the contest is being held. “Right now, I’m exhausted, but I don’t feel it because it’s so fun and it’s worth it,” Fakih said by phone from her hotel room in Las Vegas. “It’s hard work but they take great, great care of us. I feel like Angelina Jolie right now.”The 6 a.m. wake-up calls, workouts and dance lessons in the hotel lobby, and tightly-packed schedule of promotional events, have taken their toll on Fakih since she arrived during the first week of May, but that energy is often quickly replaced by the outpouring of support she’s received from fans so far. “All the girls have gotten a lot of attention, but I have a different kind of attention,” she said. “So many people from Michigan have come here to support me, they know my name and tell me they’re proud of me.”A lot of Lebanese people have driven here from California too, and it’s just been amazing so far.”In order to continue to make her family, friends, and fans proud, Fakih has treated the pageant almost as if she were running for public office with hopes of impressing the judges from the inside-out. Fakih knew going into the contest that the personal interview segment, conducted prior to Sunday’s show, is one of the main components of establishing an image as the kind of well-rounded, well-spoken contestant the Miss USA judges are looking for, and Fakih feels that she did well during that portion on Wednesday thanks to early-morning study sessions in her hotel room. Fakih learned the work habits from her time at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, where she double-majored and graduated in Economics and Business Management. “I feel the interview went great, especially when they asked me about the state of Michigan,” she said. “I gave them everything they wanted, from the unemployment rates to the history of the state and everything in between.”I feel like Miss USA should be well-informed; she should be just like the President of the United States.”While Fakih won’t quite make the kind of cash Barack Obama currently receives for serving as Commander-in-Chief by winning the Miss USA crown on Sunday, she would be compensated nicely, with a $100,000 grand prize along with paid appearances plus an apartment in the Trump House in New York City along with other bonuses before moving on to the Miss Universe pageant in August.Fakih knows the pageant is about more, much more than just the money, but money is the reason the self-described former tomboy got into the pageant circuit to begin with at age 19 in order to pay off her college tuition.Fakih already banked $100,000 towards school and pageant preparation for her win as the first ever Arab American Miss Michigan. Now, she hopes to use the contest as a platform to give back to the community. She’s become involved with numerous causes through the pageant circuit, continuing her charity work from her school days, and plans to explore business opportunities to feed the needy in the future. She also said her time working with the Best Buddies organization spending time with disabled kids has been the highlight of her stay in Las Vegas so far. “They made me feel so special, and they said that the four hours we spent with them was the best time of their lives,” she said.Fakih hopes to make Sunday the time of her life as well, as she will take the stage with of tons of friends and family members from places as diverse as Florida, New York, California, Michigan, and the African country of Ghana expected to be in the audience rooting her on. Despite the white-hot spotlight, Fakih said  nervousness isn’t even an issue going into Sunday’s event, a testament to the benefits the pageant circuit has provided for her.”I was such a shy person when I was young, I had a hard time looking someone in the eye when I was talking or dancing,” she said”But now, I just get so excited. I get nervous, but I love that nervous feeling.” She hopes that fellow Arab Americans will be inspired by her experiences.”From what I see in their reactions, a lot of (Arab American) girls might be applying for Miss Michigan next year,” she said. “If not, I’m going to feel like a failure, that means I did not prove to these girls that they should feel proud of who they are.”But win or lose, Fakih knows that her family, especially her parents, are proud of her accomplishments.Two up-close seats were also provided free of charge for her mother Nadia and her father Hussein along with other parents so the NBC cameras can capture their reactions as the pageant reaches its dramatic conclusion. While Fakih never saw herself as a pageant contestant growing up, she remembers watching the Miss USA competitions on TV and has vivid memories of the parents’ reactions.”Watching the parents always made me tear up,” she said. The tears (of joy) might flow again from Fakih on Sunday if she wins the Miss USA crown, only this time, she’ll  have plenty of company.