ST. GEORGE – Dixie State College senior Alana Lee will compete against 52 other contestants from across the country for the coveted 2012 Miss America crown at the Planet Hollywood Resort in Las Vegas. The Pageant’s preliminary competition rounds begin today and will run through next Thursday, Jan. 12, in advance of the 2012 Miss America Pageant broadcast slated to air live on the ABC television network on Saturday, January 14. Lee is the first student in Dixie State College’s 100-year history to represent the institution at the Miss America Pageant.
Lee, a 22-year-old mass communication major from Las Vegas, punched her ticket to the Miss America Pageant when she was crowned Miss Nevada 2011 last July at the CasaBlanca Resort Showroom in Mesquite. She bested 13 other contestants as Miss Clark County en route to claiming the title and crown. In her new role as Miss Nevada 2011, Lee has spent the last six months traveling the state and the country promoting her platform of “Patriotism: Rock the Vote,” which included leading the Pledge of Allegiance at the Republican Presidential Debate held in Las Vegas last October, among other appearances and activities.
“I am so proud to carry the ‘Dixie Spirit’ with me on to the Miss America stage,” Lee said. “It is very humbling to me to know that I will be representing my Nevada family and friends, as well as my Dixie State family and friends, on that stage.”
This year’s Miss America Pageant features a big social media push as the public will be invited participate in the selection process via the internet on Facebook at www.facebook.com/
The voting period is open now through Thursday, Jan. 12, at 11:59 p.m. (PST). The contestant receiving the highest number of online votes will be included among the top 15 finalists announced on the Miss America Pageant live telecast.
A 2007 graduate of Mojave HS, Lee is the sixth member of her family to attend Dixie State College, where she is involved in campus activities, and has served as a news anchor and reporter for SUN News, a nightly news broadcast produced by the DSC’s communication department’s Center for Media Innovation. Additionally, Lee served as production coordinator for the Wayne Newton documentary, which debuted at the 2011 DOCUTAH International Documentary Film Festival in St. George last September. In addition to her academic achievements at DSC, Lee was crowned as Dixie State’s Homecoming Queen in 2009 and represented DSC at the 2010 Miss Utah Pageant.
“We couldn’t be more proud of what Alana has accomplished and how well she has represented not only her home state, but Dixie State College as well,” said Del Beatty, DSC Dean of Students. “She is a wonderful representation of the caliber of students we have here at Dixie. We look forward to seeing what she will accomplish during her week at the Miss America Pageant.”
With her degree in mass communication, Lee aspires to become a news journalist at a major network, with hopes of eventually hosting her own television show. She credits the incredible support she has received from Dixie State and the St. George community as she prepared for the Miss America Pageant.
“I honestly feel that the education I received at Dixie State College prepared me for this opportunity,” Lee noted. “I don’t think I would be where I am right now without the assistance and support I have received from Dixie’s administration and faculty.”
Dixie State College will host a free Miss America viewing party for all DSC students, faculty and staff, and the community on Saturday, Jan. 14, at the Gardner Center Ballroom beginning at 6:30 p.m. For more information on the viewing party, please contact Stephanie Higginson at 435-652-7512.
For media inquiries for Miss Nevada 2011 Alana Lee and further information, please contact Stephanie Chavez at Kirvin Doak Communications at 702-737-3100.