Crowned Miss America 2011 at Just 17, Teresa Scanlan—a Homeschooler and a Believer—admits she's Aiming for the White House

Aimee Herd : Jan 20, 2011
OneNewsNow.com

"I'm defined by what God has created me to be."

Last Saturday saw Nebraska's Teresa Scanlan—the youngest competitor since Bette Cooper in 1937—become Miss America 2011, and in the flurry of tears and applause that come with winning the crown, Teresa repeatedly lifted her eyes and hands to Heaven in thanksgiving.

Maybe not your typical pageantry participant, Scanlan is just 17-years-old; having been homeschooled through her junior year of high school. According to a People magazine article, she is the middle of seven children. She noted that her parents "really sacrificed a lot to do what they did" in teaching their children at home.

Scanlan says her favorite subject is "government," which makes sense since the teen revealed that her ultimate goal is to reside at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, as President someday. She says she'll start by attending law school, with hopes of one day sitting on the Supreme Court (especially since one has to be at least 35 to be president and—as Scanlan put it—she has "another lifetime to wait").

According to the People article, the new Miss America is not shy about her faith, and in her blog she talked about praying before competitions. She said, "When I found pageantry, I realized that God had prepared me for this competition by creating me to love diversity, and here was the place I could use the talents He had given me."

She added that her faith in God "is the whole purpose behind who I am. I'm defined by what God has created me to be."

During the question and answer part of the competition, Scanlan spoke conversantly regarding the recent WikiLeaks issue.

"You know when it came to that situation," said Scanlan, "it was actually based on espionage, and when it comes to the security of our nation, we have to focus on security first and then people's right to know, because it's so important that everybody who's in our borders is safe. And so, we can't let things like that happen, and they must be handled properly."

In a OneNewsNow report, the teen mentioned being at peace while waiting for the results of the pageant—along with the other contestants who are Christians—saying, "We knew that whatever happened is His plan. And so, whether I won or not, I just knew that the right person would be in the right place. So, I guess I'm in the right place, and now I'm just so excited to see what He has in store."

Scanlon, when asked by reporters if she was dating anyone, replied that she wasn't, "17-year-old boys? …Enough said!" she quipped.

Watch the video of Teresa Scanlan accepting her crown as Miss America 2011 by CLICKING HERE. And, keep this young girl, who seems to have such a strong calling on her life, in prayer for God's constant protection and direction.