Utahn Amy Osmond, the daughter of Kathy and Wayne Osmond of Bountiful, won America's Junior Miss 1994 pageant Saturday night, emerging from a field of 50 contestants to claim a $30,000 college scholarship.
Osmond, of Bountiful, also won the Spirit Award in a vote by the contestants, giving her an additional $1,000 scholarship. In the preliminaries earlier in the week, she won two $500 scholarships plus poise and personality awards."I can't believe this is happening to me," she said. "I don't know why I've been so blessed."
The first runner-up, Colleen Clarkson of Arizona, won a $15,000 scholarship. Second runner-up Nicole Kardell of Georgia won a $10,000 scholarship.
The niece of entertainers Donny and Marie Osmond played the violin during the creative arts phase of the competition. In the onstage interview, she was asked if it was proper for the news media to criticize first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.
"The news media plays an important role in our lives," she said. "That's how people form a lot of their opinions. So I think that it is OK, as long as it doesn't go too far. I don't think the tabloids should be getting into it."
Osmond was general Sterling Scholar for Bountiful High School and a runner-up in the state competition. She is an accomplished violinist.
Before the pageant she said she had plans to attend Brigham Young University in the fall, working toward a nursing degree. She said she would like to go to medical school.
The performance at the Mobile Civic Center was telecast live on NBC-TV.
The high school seniors were scored on talent, looks, fitness, scholastic achievement, and an interview with the panel of five judges.
Clarkson, of Mesa, Ariz., added a $1,000 scholastic achievement scholarship in the third and final preliminary Thursday to go with the three $500 awards she won earlier.
Kardell of Atlanta won an award for creative and performing arts Thursday. The 18-year-old won personality and poise scholarships and an award for panel evaluation during two earlier preliminaries.