Virginia Takes Miss America Crown

Fredericksburg woman wows Las Vegas judges

A 22-year-old Fredericksburg, Va., woman won the 2010 Miss America pageant in Las Vegas Saturday night.

Miss Virginia, Caressa Cameron, seemed honestly shocked when her name was called. The Virginia Commonwealth University senior stood holding her bouquet of long-stemmed roses with her mouth wide open. 

Cameron accepted the title wearing a yellow dress with a gold-bodice and chandelier earrings. Only her smile sparkled brighter.

Along with the title, comes a $50,000 scholarship.

Through a chorus of “There She Is: Miss America,” host Mario Lopez could be heard telling Cameron, “Yes, this is really happening.”

As she got ready to take her walk around the stage, her proud parents emerged hand-in-hand from the audience. Cameron’s mother appeared to be in tears.

Cameron waved to the crowd and mouthed, “Oh, my gosh!”

The aspiring news anchor outlasted 52 other young women, including Miss District of Columbia, in swimsuit, evening gown, talent and interview competitions.

For her talent portion, she belted out Beyonce’s “Listen” from the musical “Dreamgirls”.

Her interview question tackled the issue of childhood obesity.

"We need to get our kids back outside, playing with sticks in the street like I did when I was little," Cameron said. "Expand your mind, go outside and get to see what this world is like."

Cameron’s platform is AIDS awareness.

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