Kenosha, Wisconsin
Age: 23
Education:
St. Joseph High School
Carthage College
Platform Issue: Circles of Support-Mentoring Children of Incarcerated Parents
Scholastic Ambition: To obtain a Master's degree in Speech and Language Pathology
Talent: Operatic Vocal
Scholastic Honors: Dean's List; Outstanding Senior Music Major Award,; Music Department Honor's Recital Participant
Career Ambition: To become a Speech Pathologist
Local Competition Sponsor: Miss Southern Wisconsin Pageant
State Competition Sponsor: Miss Wisconsin Organization
Special thanks and credits to http://us-beauty-pageant.blogspot.com
source: (Thank you and credits to
http://www.missamerica.org/
http://us-beauty-pageant.blogspot.com/
http://freedom-guy.blogspot.com/
and all sources for the information and pictures)
Miss America 2012 winner is Laura Kaeppeler of Wisconsin
Miss Wisconsin, Laura Kaeppeler won the title of Miss America 2012 during a pageant held on January 14 at the Theatre for the Performing Arts at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. She was crowned by Teresa Scanlan, Miss America 2011.
The contest was hosted by Chris Harrison, and Brooke Burke and was broadcasted live by ABC.
23 year old Laura Kaeppeler is from Kenosha and was a former contestant at National Sweetheart 2010.
source: (Thank you and credits to
http://www.universalqueen.com/
and all sources for the information and pictures)
Wisconsin wins Miss America 2012
A 23-year-old beauty queen from Kenosha, Wisconsin, won the Miss America pageant Saturday in Las Vegas after singing opera and strutting in a white bikini and black beaded evening gown. Laura Kaeppeler also had to answer a question about whether beauty queens should declare their politics.
“Miss America represents everyone, so I think the message to political candidates is that they represent everyone as well,” she said. “And so in these economic times, we need to be looking forward to what America needs, and I think Miss America needs to represent all.”
Miss Oklahoma Betty Thompson came in second, while Miss New York Kaitlyn Monte placed third.
Kaeppeler wins a $50,000 scholarship and gets the title for one year. Her platform during the competition was supporting and mentoring children of incarcerated parents — a topic close to her heart.
Jeff Kaeppeler said his daughter’s win on Saturday night was the best day of his life. He attended the event in a black tuxedo with a baby blue vest and bow tie. Laura Kaeppeler’s hometown of roughly 97,000 people, Kenosha, is about 40 miles south of Milwaukee.
She majored in music and vocal performance at a private Lutheran liberal arts college in Kenosha, and told pageant officials she planned to obtain a master’s degree in speech and language pathology and become a speech therapist.
Kaeppeler was crowned the new Miss America by a panel of seven judges during a live telecast on ABC. The event was the culmination of a week of preliminary competitions and months of preparations for the titleholders from all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
As the new Miss America, Kaeppeler will spend the next year touring the country to speak to different groups and raising money for the Children’s Miracle Network, the Miss America Organization’s official charity.
Teresa Scanlan of Nebraska won Miss America last year at age 17 to become the pageant’s youngest winner ever. She said contestants’ nerves likely were at their highest point just before the pageant.
“You can always breathe a sigh of relief” once the live pageant begins, Scanlan said.
Pageant officials earlier announced the winners of preliminary competitions, including Kaeppeler, Thompson and Miss Hawaii Lauren Cheape for talent; and Monte, Miss Texas Kendall Morris and Miss Utah Danica Olsen for swimsuit.
Kaeppeler took home a $2,000 scholarship for her opera performance of “Il Bacio” in the talent competition.
Officials also said Miss Idaho Genevieve Nutting won the $2,000 Fourpoints Award, while Miss Kentucky Ann-Blair Thornton won the $6,000 Quality of Life scholarship.
The Miss America Organization touts itself as the world’s largest giver of scholarships to women, with about $350,000 to be given this year at the national level.
Scanlan said she planned to use her scholarship to help pay for law school en route to a life in politics.
source: (Thank you and credits to
http://globalbeauties.com/
and all sources for the information and pictures)
