Katie Stam
| Katie Stam | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Alma mater | University of Indianapolis |
| Title |
Indiana's Junior Miss 2005 Miss Indiana 2008 Miss America 2009 |
| Predecessor | Kirsten Haglund |
| Successor | Caressa Cameron |
| Religion | Lutheran |
| Spouse(s) | Brian Irk (m. 2010–present) |
| Website | |
| http://www.katiestam.com/ | |
Katie R. Stam is a beauty queen from Seymour, Indiana, crowned Miss America 2009.
Biography
Growing up, Stam was a 4-H member and showed dairy cattle at the Jackson County Fair.[1] She graduated from Seymour High School and is currently a senior at the University of Indianapolis studying communications.[2][3] She is a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Seymour, Indiana, where her mother teaches fifth grade at the Lutheran elementary school.[4][5]
Pageants
Stam entered and won her first pageant at the age of 15. After winning the title Teen Jackson County she advanced to the Kentuckiana Pageant. She won the overall Kentuckiana title (a title won by several successful pageant winners) and advanced and won the national pageant and edging out first runner-up, Amber Seyer, who went on to compete in Miss Teen USA and Miss USA. According to Pageant.net, Stam made history as the first Hoosier to win a triple crown in the same pageant system starting at the local, state, and national levels. In 2009, she would tie her own record of a triple crown by winning at the local (Miss Duneland), state (Miss Indiana) and national (Miss America) level.
She returned to the local level in 2005, and won the title Jackson County Jr. Miss, taking home more than $9,000 in college scholarships. Following in the footsteps of one of her predecessors, Deven Wayman, Stam became the second young woman from Jackson County to win the Indiana Jr. Miss title and advance to the last televised America's Jr. Miss Scholarship Program. Stam finished the competition as 2nd runner-up, securing another $20,000 in college scholarships.
In November 2007, she won the local Miss Duneland title (Michigan City, Indiana). She competed in the Miss Indiana pageant for the first time in June 2008, and was crowned Miss Indiana.[6] For her state talent she performed "Art is Calling Me."
Precompetition reality show
She and the other 52 contestants participated in TLC's reality competition show Miss America: Countdown to the Crown which aired in the weeks prior to the pageant show. The series was filmed aboard the berthed RMS Queen Mary and the surrounding Long Beach, California, area. Stam won the first round competition, receiving the first gold sash award.
At the conclusion of the series the American viewers voted for four of the eventual 15 gold sash winners. Those four, which included Stam, automatically advanced to be placed in the top 15 finalists in the actual pageant; the other 11 being voted by the pageant judges.[7]
Miss America 2009
The pageant was broadcast live on TLC from the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 24, 2009. For her talent she sang "Via Dolorosa" despite suffering from a throat infection.[9] At the conclusion of the live telecast, Stam was crowned the 84th Miss America.[10] She succeeds Kirsten Haglund of Farmington Hills, Michigan, and is Indiana's first Miss America.[9]
Miss America role
Her platform is "Passion for Service: Promoting Community Service and Involvement."[7][11] On Thanksgiving Day 2009, Stam served food to hundreds of men and women at the New York Rescue Mission, a homeless shelter in the New York City area.[5] While there, she wore an apron and cap.[5]
Stam met President Obama through a joint meeting with the Children's Miracle Network Hospital Champions at the White House.[12] In March 2008, President Bush met with Miss America Kirsten Haglund also for the same cause.[13]
References
- ↑ Wetzel, January (January 26, 2009). "Our Miss America, Katie Stam". The Tribune (Seymour, Indiana).
- ↑ "tlc.discovery.com". Retrieved 2009-01-26.
- ↑ "About Miss America Katie Stam". The Tribune (Seymour, Indiana). January 25, 2009.
- ↑ "Immanuel Lutheran Church". February 11, 2009.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Olaksy, Marvin. "Serving with Miss America". WORLD. 19 December 2009. p. 88.
- ↑ "Miss Indiana Pageant". Retrieved 2009-01-26.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Miss Indiana Katie Stam Wins 2009 Miss America Pageant" (Press release). PR Newswire. 2009-01-24.
- ↑ "Delaware, Indiana win in Miss America preliminary". Associated Press. 2009-01-21.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Indiana student ill, but wins Miss America crown". Associated Press. 2009-01-24.
- ↑ "ENT-Miss America". The Canadian Press - Broadcast wire. 2009-01-25.
- ↑ Garcia, Oskar (2009-01-25). "Miss America says she dreamed of crown her whole life, but its job description lured her, too". Associated Press.
- ↑ "Miss America 2009 Katie Stam Joins Children's Miracle Network to Meet with President Obama". Miss America. March 25, 2009.
- ↑ "Miss America 2008 Kirsten Haglund Meets President George W. Bush with the Children from Champions Across America". Miss America. March 18, 2008.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Katie Stam. |
- Official website
- Katie Stam on Twitter
- Katie Stam on Facebook
- Katie Stam at the Internet Movie Database
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Kirsten Haglund |
Miss America 2009 |
Succeeded by Caressa Cameron |
| Preceded by Nicole Rash |
Miss Indiana 2008 |
Succeeded by Megan Meadors |
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