Like most models, Donna Stokes' name is not nearly as familiar as her image. Her complexion is flawless, her eyes a soft, beckoning shade of brown. Her profile is sophisticated. Her look is vogue. And her figure is shaped with subtle and enviable curves. Basically Donna, at age 24, has everything going for her. She's got an open invitation to life in the fast lane, and she's turning it down, flat.

This energetic brunette has plans to continue with her modeling, but living out the lifestyles of the rich and famous, riding stretch limos and jet-setting between Spain, Greece and New York are simply not this girl's cup of tea. While Donna's look is 1OO-percent pure glamour, inside she's just a plain country girl. A consumate professional in front of the camera, on the sidelines Donna gives you a feeling that she's left her bucket out back and has Just stopped to chat for a few minutes on her way to do the day's milking Part of it is her molassess-thick Nashville accent. Part of it is the fact that Donna is a genuine, God-fearing country girl.

Hers is a Pygmalion tale of growing up the ugly duckling. I know, it's hard to believe. Just take a physical inventory of this girl: perfect teeth, a creamy-smooth complexion, lovely, matching eyes, excellent coloring. There was no way that this girl could have ever been ugly. No, not just ugly, she said she was laughed at and ridiculed. Come on.

But after getting to know Donna, you find out she's not really the kind of person capable of telling lies. That's why I'm positive that what she speaks is the truth, but I still have to believe that Donna was ugly in Donna's eyes, and that what the rest of the world saw really wasn't that bad.

"I was never cute," and she emphasized the 'never.' "When I was a kid I was real skinny and ugly, and all the kids made fun of me. At night I would go to bed and pray that I would gain weight."

The butterfly started to emerge when Donna was in her mid-teens. "That's when I started to fill out, you know, and people started looking at me." And when they started to look, they took double-takes. Donna was born and raised in Clarksville, a town of about 60,000 in Tennessee. Her first crack at notoriety was as a "mat-maid," a cheerleader for her High School's wrestling team. As she continued to fill-out, she continued to expand her circle of friends. "I was also elected homecoming queen, and that was one of the best moments in my life."

In three years, Donna went from Clarksville homecoming queen to successful national model, and she didn't have to move further than Nashville to accomplish this. But, she's been willing to go on location to places like France, Monaco and the Bahamas. So how did she catch the express flight to success? "Guess I got a little lucky."

Luck didn't have quite as much to do with it as Ron Rice, owner and promoter of the Hawaiian Tropic suntan oil line. Donna was one of thousands of girls to compete in the Hawaiian Tropic Pageant, and as grand finalist she was one of four chosen from the U.S. to represent the company for four years. During this time she has indeed been around the world. And on the way, she has picked up a number of other interesting offers.

As part of Hawaiian Tropic's national advertising campaign her photo was spotted by the casting agents of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, and Donna was contacted to appear in their segment on the elegant Las Hadas resort in Manzanillo, Mexico. If you watch the beginning of the show, they still flash back to a shot of Donna lying in the curves of Las Hadas' white rooftop. If you're a fan of country music you may remember Donna on the Country Music Awards the past two years. Or on George Burns' birthday special. She's definitely had some offers that most girls only dream of.

But the one offer Donna wants, she hasn't had. "I enjoy modeling a lot. I really do. And eventually I want to get married and have a family."

Despite offers from some of the world's most eligible men, Donna's heart is in Nashville, with the same guy she's been dating since high school. The relationship goes off and on, but it's mostly on. But marriage and a family are only a part of this ambitious girl's dreams for the future.

"I've set goals for myself," she says, "and I've reached most of them. I wanted to be able to model fulltime, to appear in national magazines and to be on the cover of a national magazine. It's all come true, and now I want to accomplish my next goal, and open my own modeling and charm school."

Donna is a born teacher. She enjoys modeling, but even on a job, you see her gravitate to the less-experienced models and lend them tips and advice. She enjoys passing information on, and she's approached her modeling in a scientific manner. A manner she thinks will be marketable in her own modeling school.

"What I want to do is show girls what I've done, and how I've done it. It's all a matter of the mind, of gaining the confidence you need. I wouldn't just teach girls how to do makeup and pose, I'd spend a lot of time in other areas of self-improvement. I know I can build girls' self-confidence and do the same thing for them that I've done for myself. "

And where does Donna plan on opening the doors? New York? Los Angeles? "Oh no! I'd open it in Clarksville. Why, I'm the biggest model to ever come out of Clarksville and that's where I know I'd be a success!"

Besides, Donna's parents, four sisters and three brothers are all still in Clarksville, even though Donna made the big move to neighboring Nashville where she presently lives with her two roommates, Debbie and Connie. But Donna gets home every weekend, when she's not on location, to visit with her family and set plans in motion for opening that charm school in the not-too-distant future. And with Donna's past successes, you can bet she'll realize her goal.

As far as her choice of careers, Donna's father doesn't say much. The influence of Hawaiian Tropic has made Donna predominantly a swimwear model, and that may be a little tough to swallow for dad. But mom makes up for any lack of enthusiasm on dad's part. "My mom brags so much it's embarrassing," laughs Donna, who thoroughly enjoys talking about her home and family. "Mom practically travels with the family album of everything I've done."