Miss Nebraska Teresa Scanlan Miss America 2011 Winner
|
|
Miss Nebraska Teresa Scanlan has at age 17 become the youngest Miss America to win the pageant since its debut 90 years ago.
Becoming the first Cornhusker State resident to win the crown, Scanlan beat out 52 other beauty queens to win a $50,000 scholarship at the Planet Hollywood casino-resort in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
On Saturday night, she spoke out about national security in response to a question about the WikiLeaks scandal.
“You know when it came to that situation, it was actually based on espionage, and when it comes to the security of our nation, we have to focus on security first and then people’s right to know, because it’s so important that everybody who’s in our borders is safe and so we can’t let things like that happen, and they must be handled properly,” she said
She is reportedly the youngest Miss America to win since the 90-year-old pageant put in age limits in 1938 (though in 1921, its first year, the pageant crowned 15-year-old Margaret Gorman from District of Columbia queen).
“From 17 to 24, that can be a huge age range,” Scanlan told the AP. “But with these girls, they are all at the highest level imaginable.”
Among them was Miss Arkansas Alyse Eady, who as first runner-up won $25,000. Miss Hawaii Jalee Fuselier came in third place and won $20,000.
