DETROIT— For Heba Aloussi one
of the most exciting things about competing in the Miss Arab USA pageant is
forming new friendships with other contestants.

“I am looking forward to
meeting all the different contestants. There is such a diverse group of women
with different nationalities who represent different nations in the Arab
world,” Aloussi said.

As a contestant Aloussi said
she wants to help break some of the stereotypes about Arab women.

“I think there are a lot of
misconceptions about Arab women. I want to clear some of them up,” Aloussi
said.

The 29-year-old Syrian
American is a graduate of the University of Michigan-Dearborn and currently
works as a dental assistant for Contemporary Dentistry in Canton.

“The Arab American community
is very close-knit. We have strong family values, and love embracing our
culture and traditions,” she said. Aloussi is one of 20 contestants.