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Miss Oklahoma Lauren Nelson competes during the swimsuit segment of the 2007 Miss America pageant at the Aladdin Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, January 29, 2007. Nelson was named Miss America 2007
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Lauren Nelson, an aspiring Broadway star, was crowned Miss America, the second year in a row that a Miss Oklahoma has won the crown.

Nelson, 20, is a student at the University of Central Oklahoma and wants to get her master’s degree in musical theater

Nelson was crowned by last year’s winner, Jennifer Berry. Nelson, a blonde who told judges she wishes she was taller, sang “You’ll Be In My Heart” in the talent competition and plans to promote protecting children online during her yearlong reign as Miss America.

She gets a $50,000 scholarship with the crown and stands to make thousands more in appearance fees.

The last state to win back-to-back titles was Mississippi, when Mary Ann Mobley crowned Lynda Mead as Miss America in 1960.

Nelson began singing in a church choir as a girl. Over the years, she acted in musicals such as “Bye Bye Birdie” and “Anything Goes.”

The pageant tossed in a few reality-TV twists on the way toward selecting its ideal woman in a new time slot on the Las Vegas Strip.

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