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Miss Utah USA, a USU student,
places in top 10
By Stevie Stewart
March 25, 2007 | Up close and personal with Donald
Trump and company, Miss Utah USA Heather Anderson made
a good showing at the 2007 Miss USA Pageant in Hollywood,
Calif., as she was a top 10 finalist.
Anderson, a psychology student at Utah State University,
is what many would call "pageant-perfect."
The 26-year-old from Sandy stands 6 feet, 4 inches tall
in her pageant heels. With waist-length brunette hair,
Anderson was hard to miss at Friday night's pageant
parade.
Anderson said she has taken most of her USU classes
online through the extension program so she can still
work full time as a runway model. Anderson said as a
model, she has worked for companies such as Sketchers
and Chanel during her time at USU.
"I am not in school right now, so that I can
focus my time on representing the great state of Utah,"
Anderson said. "But I will be eager to return at
the end of my reign."
According to Anderson in her profile during the Miss
USA Pageant on NBC, she is very fond of the D.A.R.E.
program. She said she plans on educating youths about
drug and alcohol resistance not only as Miss Utah, but
throughout the rest of her life.
"After losing my little brother to an accidental
drug overdose a few years ago, I try to generate as
much awareness as I can about drug use," Anderson
said.
Anderson said her title has allowed her to educate
the people of Utah about the dangers of drugs and alcohol.
After the pageant, she said she would return home to
share her brother's story in an attempt to save lives
so that his death would not be in vain.
After being asked how she felt about making it so
far in the competition, Anderson said she was honored
and was glad she did well. The Miss USA pageant is co-owned
by Donald Trump and NBC. The pageant runs for more than
a week, but only the finals are shown from the Kodak
Theatre in Hollywood.
"I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little
disappointed, but I went into the pageant as Miss Utah
USA and the title has allowed me to have a voice in
our state," she said.
Anderson said she has been heavily involved with the
Special Olympics program in Utah and said her favorite
part of the Miss USA pageant was an event with "Best
Buddies." It gives mentors a child to spend time
with and influence in a positive way. She said mentoring
young children is something she really enjoys and that
is what Best Buddies is all about. She said serving
others is the part of the pageant and her reign as Miss
Utah USA that she will remember the most.
On Sept. 30, Anderson was crowned Miss Utah USA at
Kingsbury Hall. Winning the pageant was a tremendous
feat as it was her her first time in the pageant. She
prevailed over former Miss Utah and Miss America swimsuit
winner, Amy Davis, who was first runner-up. For more
information on next year's Miss Utah USA pageant, visit:
www.missutahusa.com.
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