Lauren Nelson
Lauren Nelson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | November 26, 1986 |
| Alma mater | MacArthur High School University of Central Oklahoma |
| Occupation | News Anchor |
| Title | Miss Teen Lawton 2004 Miss Teen Oklahoma 2004 Miss Oklahoma State Fair 2006 Miss Oklahoma 2006 Miss America 2007 |
| Term | January 29, 2007 – January 26, 2008 |
| Predecessor | Jennifer Berry |
| Successor | Kirsten Haglund |
| Spouse |
Randy Faram (m. 2009) |
| Children | 2 |
Lauren Paige Nelson (born November 26, 1986) 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.[1]
Early life and education
Nelson attended MacArthur High School and later graduated from University of Central Oklahoma with a degree in public relations.[2]
Pageantry
Miss Teen Oklahoma 2004
Nelson was Miss Teen Oklahoma 2004, and in this role, she performed at the 2005 Miss America pageant.[3]
Miss Oklahoma 2006
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. On the final night of competition, she was crowned Miss Oklahoma 2006, for which she received a $16,000 scholarship.[2] At age nineteen, she was the youngest contestant to become Miss Oklahoma.
Miss America 2007
Nelson went on to represent Oklahoma in the Miss America 2007 pageant that was 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.[4] Her talent was a vocal performance, and her platform was, "Be NetSmart – Protecting Kids Online".
At the conclusion of the live telecast, Nelson was crowned Miss America 2007, beating first runner-up Miss Texas 2006, Shilah Phillips. She received a $50,000 scholarship award along with the title. She succeeded Jennifer Berry of Jenks, Oklahoma, this being the second occurrence of consecutive state winners since Mississippi took the Miss America title in both 1959 and 1960.
Personal life
Nelson married Randy Faram, a student minister, on October 24, 2009.[5][6] Nelson gave birth to a son, Mason, in October 2013 and a daughter, Dawson Paige, in March 2016.
Miscellaneous
Nelson teamed up with host John Walsh on the FOX television show America's Most Wanted to assist in the apprehension of potential child predators, posing as a teenager online. Initial reports on 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.[7][8] However, she appeared to change her mind later that day, and it was reported that she would testify against the perpetrators.[9]
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 KWTV in Oklahoma City, a CBS affiliate, as a co-anchor of the station's 4 P.M. newscast, which was reformatted from a traditional newscast to a lifestyle-oriented newscast.
References
- ^ Associated Press (January 30, 2007). "Miss Oklahoma Lauren Nelson Wins Miss America 2007 Pageant". FOX News.com. Retrieved 2007-02-04.
- ^ a b "Edmond's Lauren Nelson new 'Discover Oklahoma' co-host". Edmond Life & Leisure. January 5, 2017.
- ^ "Lauren Nelson bio". Miss Oklahoma Pageant Scholarship Funds, Inc. Archived from the original on September 23, 2006. Retrieved 2007-02-04.
- ^ Covington, Hannah (May 31, 2015). "Nationally renowned trainer makes an 'art' out of pageant fitness". Tulsa World.
- ^ "Randy Faram: Associate Pastor, Student Ministries". Edmond's First Baptist Church.
- ^ Huddleston, Kami (August 6, 2010). "Miss America wedding featured in Brides of Oklahoma". Brides of Oklahoma.
- ^ CNN.com. "Miss America may not testify in sex sting cases". Archived from the original on 2007-05-05. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
{{cite news}}:|author=has generic name (help) - ^ AMW.com. "Miss America Teams Up With America's Most Wanted". Archived from the original on 2007-05-01.
- ^ "Miss America to testify in sex sting".
External links
- Miss America Kids website, offering a free child-safe web browser for children featuring Lauren Nelson
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