A 21-year-old auburn-haired California model won the Miss USA crown Sunday night and will represent the nation in this year's Miss Universe pageant.
Alyssa Campanella of Los Angeles topped a field of 51 beauty queens to take the title at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. She strutted across the stage in a blue bikini with white polka dots and a dark turquoise Sherri Hill evening gown with beading on its top.
She also answered a question about legalizing marijuana by saying she didn't think it should be fully legalized as a solution to help ailing economies.
Campanella told reporters in a news conference after the pageant that the win validated her decision to quickly move to Los Angeles from New Jersey after losing an apartment.
"The downs happen for a reason," she said. "The path that I'm on now is the path that's been meant to be."
Campanella, a former Miss Teen USA runner-up from 2007, when she represented New Jersey, said she has been competing in pageants since she was 15 because of her mom.
"I was going through a tough time in high school and she thought it'd be a great way for me to meet other girls throughout the state," she said. "It's Mom's fault."
Originally from Manalapan, N.J., Campanella began modeling at age 16, graduated from high school a year early and received a scholarship to the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts, according to her personal website.
21-year-old Californian wins Miss USA crown
via ca.tv.yahoo.com
