Lauren Nelson
Encyclopedia
Lauren Paige Nelson is a beauty queen from Lawton
, Oklahoma
who holds the Miss America
2007 title. Nelson is the second consecutive Miss America and sixth in the history of Miss America to hail from this state.
Nelson was Miss Teen Oklahoma 2004, and in this role, she performed at the 2005 Miss America Pageant.
En route to Miss America, she won the Miss Oklahoma State Fair local title and then competed in the Miss Oklahoma
pageant for the first time on June 11, 2006, and was crowned Miss Oklahoma 2006, for which she received a $16,000 scholarship. At age nineteen, she was the youngest contestant to become Miss Oklahoma.
Nelson went on to represent Oklahoma
in the Miss America 2007
pageant broadcast on CMT
from the Theatre for the Performing Arts
on January 29, 2007. She won a preliminary swimsuit award on Thursday night, becoming her state's first Swimsuit preliminary award since 1955. At the conclusion of the live telecast, Nelson was crowned the 82nd Miss America
. She succeeds Jennifer Berry
, of Jenks, Oklahoma
, in the first occurrence of consecutive winners from the same state since Mississippi won in both 1959 and 1960.
A graduate of MacArthur High School, Nelson is a student at the University of Central Oklahoma
. She is a member of Centenary United Methodist Church
in Lawton, Oklahoma
. Her goal is to become a Broadway
performer. Her Miss America talent was a vocal performance, and her platform issue is "Be NetSmart – Protecting Kids Online". She receives a $50,000 scholarship award along with the title.
Nelson recently teamed up with host John Walsh
on the FOX television show America's Most Wanted
to assist in the apprehension of potential child predators. Initial reports as of May 1, 2007, stated that she did not plan to return to testify against those predators that were apprehended, putting the prosecution's case in jeopardy. However, she appeared to change her mind later that day, and it is reported that she will testify against the perpetrators.
On January 17, 2008, Nelson appeared on Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
playing for the Miss America Organization. She won $175,000 before "dropping out". On August 2, 2010 Nelson joined CBS
affiliate KWTV
in Oklahoma City
as a co-anchor of the station's 4 p.m. newscast, which was reformatted on that date from a traditional newscast to a lifestyle-oriented newscast.
Lawton, Oklahoma
The city of Lawton is the county seat of Comanche County, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Located in the southwestern region of Oklahoma approximately southwest of Oklahoma City, it is the principal city of the Lawton Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
who holds the Miss America
Miss America
The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
2007 title. Nelson is the second consecutive Miss America and sixth in the history of Miss America to hail from this state.
Nelson was Miss Teen Oklahoma 2004, and in this role, she performed at the 2005 Miss America Pageant.
En route to Miss America, she won the Miss Oklahoma State Fair local title and then competed in the Miss Oklahoma
Miss Oklahoma
The Miss Oklahoma competition selects a winner to compete on behalf of Oklahoma in the Miss America pageant. Miss Oklahoma has won the crown on five occasions. Also, in the years when city representatives were common, Norma Smallwood won, competing as Miss Tulsa, giving the state of Oklahoma a...
pageant for the first time on June 11, 2006, and was crowned Miss Oklahoma 2006, for which she received a $16,000 scholarship. At age nineteen, she was the youngest contestant to become Miss Oklahoma.
Nelson went on to represent Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
in the Miss America 2007
Miss America 2007
Miss America 2007, the 86th Miss America, pageant, was held on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada on January 29, 2007, which was a Monday, making it the first time that the pageant was held on a weekday, rather than the traditional Saturday....
pageant broadcast on CMT
Country Music Television
Country Music Television, or CMT, is an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, movies, biographies of country music stars, game shows, and reality programs...
from the Theatre for the Performing Arts
Theatre for the Performing Arts
The Theatre for the Performing Arts is a 7,000 seat theater located in the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip.- History :...
on January 29, 2007. She won a preliminary swimsuit award on Thursday night, becoming her state's first Swimsuit preliminary award since 1955. At the conclusion of the live telecast, Nelson was crowned the 82nd Miss America
Miss America
The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
. She succeeds Jennifer Berry
Jennifer Berry
Jennifer Berry-Gooden was crowned Miss America on January 21, 2006. A resident of Tulsa, Oklahoma, she was the fifth Miss America from Oklahoma to hold the title....
, of Jenks, Oklahoma
Jenks, Oklahoma
Jenks is a city in Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States, and a suburb of Tulsa, in the northeastern part of the state. It is situated between the Arkansas River and U.S. Route 75. Jenks is one of the fastest growing cities in Oklahoma...
, in the first occurrence of consecutive winners from the same state since Mississippi won in both 1959 and 1960.
University of Central Oklahoma
The University of Central Oklahoma, often referred to as UCO, is a coeducational public university located in Edmond, Oklahoma. The university is the third largest in Oklahoma, with almost 18,000 students and approximately 434 full-time and 400 adjunct faculty...
. She is a member of Centenary United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
in Lawton, Oklahoma
Lawton, Oklahoma
The city of Lawton is the county seat of Comanche County, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Located in the southwestern region of Oklahoma approximately southwest of Oklahoma City, it is the principal city of the Lawton Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. Her goal is to become a Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
performer. Her Miss America talent was a vocal performance, and her platform issue is "Be NetSmart – Protecting Kids Online". She receives a $50,000 scholarship award along with the title.
Nelson recently teamed up with host John Walsh
John Walsh
John Edward Walsh is an American television personality, criminal investigator, human and victim rights advocate and formerly the host, as well as creator, of America's Most Wanted...
on the FOX television show America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted is an American television program produced by 20th Television, and was the longest-running program of any kind in the history of the Fox Television Network until it was announced on May 16, 2011 that the series was canceled after twenty-three years, with the final episode...
to assist in the apprehension of potential child predators. Initial reports as of May 1, 2007, stated that she did not plan to return to testify against those predators that were apprehended, putting the prosecution's case in jeopardy. However, she appeared to change her mind later that day, and it is reported that she will testify against the perpetrators.
On January 17, 2008, Nelson appeared on Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? is a television game show format based on asking grade-school level questions to adults, hosted by Jeff Foxworthy...
playing for the Miss America Organization. She won $175,000 before "dropping out". On August 2, 2010 Nelson joined CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
affiliate KWTV
KWTV
KWTV-DT, virtual channel 9 , is the CBS-affiliated television station in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; it is owned by Griffin Communications of Oklahoma City...
in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
as a co-anchor of the station's 4 p.m. newscast, which was reformatted on that date from a traditional newscast to a lifestyle-oriented newscast.
External links
- Miss America official website
- Miss Oklahoma 2006
- Miss America Teams Up With America's Most Wanted story
- Miss America Kids website, offering a free child-safe web browser for children featuring Lauren Nelson