19-year-old Broadway hopeful, Miss Michigan Kirsten Haglund has been named Miss America 2008 in a lavish ceremony at Las Vegas' Planet Hollywood Resort.
(Click to enlarge images)
(Click to enlarge images)
Haglund sang "Over the Rainbow" and walked a crowd-pleasing strut in a black and gold bikini to clinch the title. She beat Miss Indiana Nicole Elizabeth Rash, the first runner up, and Miss Washington Elyse Umemoto, the second runner up.
Haglund, who studies music at the University of Cincinnati, grew up in a pageant family. Her mother is an active volunteer, and her grandmother Iora Hunt, competed for the crown as Miss Michigan 1944. Hunt joined Haglund at a news conference.
"The only words that come to my mind is that this is a dream come true, not just for me but for my family as well," Haglund said. "I'm not just standing up here alone."
As her platform issue, she promised to advocate for awareness of eating disorders, an illness from which she has recovered.
Miss America organizers introduced the "The 'It' Girl" concept this year in an attempt to reinvent the 87-year-old pageant by casting the winner as a role model to today's younger generation. The show was the latest in a series of attempts to find an audience with a younger demographic after more than a decade of declining TV ratings.
"This is what this program needs, someone young, someone relevant," Haglund said. "I was in high school two years ago... I feel in touch with what young girls are feeling."
Kirsten Haglund not only received a $50,000 scholarship but will now represent the U.S. organization for the next year.
Haglund, who studies music at the University of Cincinnati, grew up in a pageant family. Her mother is an active volunteer, and her grandmother Iora Hunt, competed for the crown as Miss Michigan 1944. Hunt joined Haglund at a news conference.
"The only words that come to my mind is that this is a dream come true, not just for me but for my family as well," Haglund said. "I'm not just standing up here alone."
As her platform issue, she promised to advocate for awareness of eating disorders, an illness from which she has recovered.
Miss America organizers introduced the "The 'It' Girl" concept this year in an attempt to reinvent the 87-year-old pageant by casting the winner as a role model to today's younger generation. The show was the latest in a series of attempts to find an audience with a younger demographic after more than a decade of declining TV ratings.
"This is what this program needs, someone young, someone relevant," Haglund said. "I was in high school two years ago... I feel in touch with what young girls are feeling."
Kirsten Haglund not only received a $50,000 scholarship but will now represent the U.S. organization for the next year.
