Kirsten Haglund
Encyclopedia
Kirsten Lora Haglund is a beauty queen from Farmington Hills
, Michigan
who was Miss America
2008.
in 2006 and spent one year pursuing a BFA
in Musical Theatre at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
in Cincinnati, Ohio
. She took time off to fulfill her duties as Miss Michigan and prepare for the Miss America pageant. After completing her year of service, Kirsten continued to travel and speak on body-image issues and eating disorders, also having begun her own Foundation (the Kirsten Haglund Foundation) to provide treatment scholarships for women struggling with the illness. Kirsten lived for one year in Los Angeles, California, and will now be finishing her education (using over $60,000 in scholarships from the MAO) at Emory University.
After winning the Miss Oakland County local title Haglund competed in the Miss Michigan
pageant for the first time, in June 2007. She won a preliminary swimsuit award and at the conclusion of the final competition was crowned Miss Michigan. For her state talent she performed "Adele's Laughing Song" from the operetta Die Fledermaus
.
in the Miss America 2008
pageant broadcast on TLC from the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino
on January 26, 2008. She won a preliminary swimsuit award on Wednesday night, becoming her state's first Preliminary Swimsuit award since 1987. For her talent she sang "Over the Rainbow
". At the conclusion of the live telecast, Haglund was crowned the 83rd Miss America
. She succeeds Lauren Nelson
, of Lawton, Oklahoma
and is Michigan's fifth Miss America and her state's first for twenty years. At 19, Haglund was the youngest girl in the competition, and the youngest Miss America winner since Kimberly Clarice Aiken
took the title in 1993. Haglund's grandmother Iora Hunt represented Detroit, Michigan at Miss America 1944.
Her platform is eating disorder
awareness, as she suffered from anorexia that began at age twelve. In fact, her body mass index
was 16.29 (BMIs <18.5 suggest a person is underweight) at the time she was crowned.
During her first week as Miss America, Haglund appeared on Live with Regis and Kelly
, ABC News Now
, Inside Edition
and Fox and Friends As part of her support of the Children's Miracle Network
, the official platform of Miss America, Haglund was named spokesperson of IHOP's third annual National Pancake Day.
Farmington Hills, Michigan
Farmington Hills is a community in southeastern Michigan. It is the largest city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Its population was 79,740 at the 2010 census...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
who was 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...
2008.
Biography
Haglund graduated from Walled Lake Western High SchoolWalled Lake Western High School
Walled Lake Western High School Walled Lake Consolidated School District, located in Walled Lake, Michigan.- Overview :...
in 2006 and spent one year pursuing a BFA
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
in Musical Theatre at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
The University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music is the performing arts college of the University of Cincinnati and is one of the nation's leading music conservatories. In its most recent rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Cincinnati sixth nationally among university programs...
in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
. She took time off to fulfill her duties as Miss Michigan and prepare for the Miss America pageant. After completing her year of service, Kirsten continued to travel and speak on body-image issues and eating disorders, also having begun her own Foundation (the Kirsten Haglund Foundation) to provide treatment scholarships for women struggling with the illness. Kirsten lived for one year in Los Angeles, California, and will now be finishing her education (using over $60,000 in scholarships from the MAO) at Emory University.
Miss Michigan
Miss Michigan
The Miss Michigan competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Michigan in the Miss America pageant. Michigan has won the Miss America crown on five occasions.- Winners :- External links :*...
pageant for the first time, in June 2007. She won a preliminary swimsuit award and at the conclusion of the final competition was crowned Miss Michigan. For her state talent she performed "Adele's Laughing Song" from the operetta Die Fledermaus
Die Fledermaus
Die Fledermaus is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée.- Literary sources :...
.
Competition
Haglund went on to represent MichiganMichigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
in the Miss America 2008
Miss America 2008
Miss America 2008, the 87th Miss America pageant, was held at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on January 26, 2008.The pageant was broadcast live on TLC from the Theatre for the Performing Arts at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino, only the third time that the pageant has been...
pageant broadcast on TLC from the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino
Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino
Planet Hollywood Las Vegas, previously known as The Aladdin, is a casino resort on the Las Vegas Strip, in the unincorporated locale of Paradise, Nevada, United States. Westgate Resorts operates the condo portion of the property, known as PH Towers by Westgate.Planet Hollywood is owned by Caesars...
on January 26, 2008. She won a preliminary swimsuit award on Wednesday night, becoming her state's first Preliminary Swimsuit award since 1987. For her talent she sang "Over the Rainbow
Over the Rainbow
"Over the Rainbow" is a classic Academy Award-winning ballad song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg. It was written for the movie The Wizard of Oz, and was sung by Judy Garland in the movie...
". At the conclusion of the live telecast, Haglund was crowned the 83rd 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 Lauren Nelson
Lauren Nelson
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....
, of 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...
and is Michigan's fifth Miss America and her state's first for twenty years. At 19, Haglund was the youngest girl in the competition, and the youngest Miss America winner since Kimberly Clarice Aiken
Kimberly Clarice Aiken
Kimberly Clarice Aiken Cockerham was Miss America 1994. Aiken was 18 years old when she won the coveted title, and was only the fifth woman of African descent to get the crown...
took the title in 1993. Haglund's grandmother Iora Hunt represented Detroit, Michigan at Miss America 1944.
Her platform is eating disorder
Eating disorder
Eating disorders refer to a group of conditions defined by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insufficient or excessive food intake to the detriment of an individual's physical and mental health. Bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, and binge eating disorder are the most common specific...
awareness, as she suffered from anorexia that began at age twelve. In fact, her body mass index
Body mass index
The body mass index , or Quetelet index, is a heuristic proxy for human body fat based on an individual's weight and height. BMI does not actually measure the percentage of body fat. It was invented between 1830 and 1850 by the Belgian polymath Adolphe Quetelet during the course of developing...
was 16.29 (BMIs <18.5 suggest a person is underweight) at the time she was crowned.
Reign
Live with Regis and Kelly
Live! with Kelly is a syndicated American television morning talk show, hosted by Kelly Ripa. The show has aired since 1983 in New York City and 1988 nationwide. Tony Pigg has been the show's announcer since its inception...
, ABC News Now
ABC News Now
ABC News Now is an American 24-hour news channel offered via digital television, broadband and streaming video at ABCNews.com and on mobile phones. It delivers breaking news, headline news each half hour, and wide range of entertainment and lifestyle programs. The channel is currently available in...
, Inside Edition
Inside Edition
Inside Edition is a thirty-minute American television syndicated news program, first aired on CBS on October 9, 1988. It was originally similar to the programs Hard Copy and A Current Affair, but now more closely resembles a condensed version of breakfast television, exclusively with pre-recorded...
and Fox and Friends As part of her support of the Children's Miracle Network
Children's Miracle Network
The Children's Miracle Network Hospitals is an international non-profit organization that raises funds for children's hospitals, medical research and community awareness of children's health issues. The organization, founded in 1982 by the Osmond family and John Schneider, is headquartered in...
, the official platform of Miss America, Haglund was named spokesperson of IHOP's third annual National Pancake Day.