Leah Laviano
Encyclopedia
Leah Laviano is a beauty queen from Ellisville, Mississippi
who competed in the Miss USA
pageant in 2008.
state pageant in 2005, finishing first runner-up to Raegan Raulston at Miss Mississippi Teen USA
2006. In 2007 she won the Miss Mississippi USA
2008 title, the first time she competed in that pageant.
at the Miss USA 2008
pageant held April 11, 2008 in Las Vegas
, Nevada
. She placed first runner-up to Crystle Stewart
of Texas
in the nationally televised pageant, which is the highest placement ever achieved by Mississippi in the 57 year history of the event. Prior to Laviano's placement, only one titleholder, Jennifer Adcock
, had placed since 1990.
. She plans to continute her education in English at Ole Miss.
Ellisville, Mississippi
Ellisville is a city in Jones County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 3,465 at the time of the 2000 census.-History:The city is named for Powhatan Ellis, a former U.S. Senator for Mississippi and descendant of Chief Powhatan, father of Pocahontas...
who competed in the Miss USA
Miss USA
The Miss USA beauty contest has been held annually since 1952 to select the United States entrant in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operates both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA...
pageant in 2008.
Miss Mississippi USA
Laviano competed in her first Miss Universe OrganizationMiss Universe Organization
The Miss Universe Organization is the organization that currently owns and runs the Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA beauty contests. Based in New York, it is owned jointly by NBC Universal and Donald Trump. The current president is Paula Shugart...
state pageant in 2005, finishing first runner-up to Raegan Raulston at Miss Mississippi Teen USA
Miss Mississippi Teen USA
The Miss Mississippi Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Mississippi in the Miss Teen USA pageant....
2006. In 2007 she won the Miss Mississippi USA
Miss Mississippi USA
The Miss Mississippi USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Mississippi in the Miss USA pageant.Mississippi has not been very successful in Miss USA pageants, with only 10 placements as of 2010...
2008 title, the first time she competed in that pageant.
Miss USA 2008
Laviano represented MississippiMississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
at the Miss USA 2008
Miss USA 2008
Miss USA 2008, the 57th Miss USA beauty pageant, was held in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 11, 2008. At the conclusion of the final night of competition, Crystle Stewart, Miss Texas USA, was crowned the winner by outgoing titleholder, Rachel Smith of Tennessee...
pageant held April 11, 2008 in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. She placed first runner-up to Crystle Stewart
Crystle Stewart
Crystle Danae Stewart , from Missouri City, Texas, is an American beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 2008. She was born to Robert & Cynthia Franklin Stewart...
of Texas
Miss Texas USA
The Miss Texas USA competition is the pageant who selects the representative for the state Texas in the Miss USA pageant. In turn, the winner of Miss USA competes for the title of Miss Universe....
in the nationally televised pageant, which is the highest placement ever achieved by Mississippi in the 57 year history of the event. Prior to Laviano's placement, only one titleholder, Jennifer Adcock
Jennifer Adcock
Jennifer Leigh Adcock is a beauty queen from Hattiesburg, Mississippi who has competed at Miss America and Miss USA.Adcock won her first pageant in 1998 when she became Mississippi’s Junior Miss and competed in the nationally televised America's Junior Miss Pageant, where she won the Overall...
, had placed since 1990.
Personal life
Having graduated South Jones High School in 2006, Laviano went on to study English at Jones County Junior CollegeJones County Junior College
Jones County Junior College is a junior college accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools located in Ellisville, Mississippi. JCJC serves its eight-county district consisting of Clarke, Covington, Greene, Jasper, Jones, Perry, Smith and Wayne...
. She plans to continute her education in English at Ole Miss.