THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, July 1, 1996 TAG: 9607010070
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: ROANOKE LENGTH: 55 lines
Michelle Kang of Fredericksburg, whose goal is to become a children's policy advocate for a national child welfare organization, was crowned Saturday night as Miss Virginia.
``I've dreamed about this moment for a long time,'' said Kang, 21, after prevailing over 23 other contestants in the 43rd annual Miss Virginia Scholarship Pageant. She will represent the state in the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City, N.J. in September.
Miss Kang played the piano during the talent segment of the competition and also won the $500 Spirit of Virginia Community Service Award.
Miss Kang graduated this spring from the College of William & Mary, where she majored in sociology and minored in music. She said she plans to use her $13,000 scholarship to attend law school and study public policy.
Originally crowned as Miss Apple Blossom Festival in January, Miss Kang is a court-appointed special advocate for abused children and said she plans to use her reign as Miss Virginia to promote child abuse prevention.
``It's crucial for us to support programs which invest in prevention,'' she said. ``We need to shift the focus from intervention to prevention, and I'm going to continue promoting child safety as one of my first priorities.''
Miss Kang's parents are Paul and Miwha Kang of Fredericksburg.
Besides the scholarship, Miss Kang receives the free use of an apartment in Roanoke and use of a 1996-97 Chevrolet for the year among her prizes.
The first runner-up at the Roanoke Civic Center was Miss Lynchburg Rachel Snider. She was followed by Miss Norfolk Stacey Moseley, Miss Chesapeake Nita Booth and Miss Portsmouth Seawall Festival Marnie Klar.
Miss Kang takes over from Amber Medlin, last year's first runner-up who took over as Miss Virginia when Andrea Ballengee was stripped of the crown after scrutiny of her resume revealed she had embellished her achievements.
Ballengee listed on her contestant fact sheet academic and athletic honors that she had not achieved. She also said during the pageant that she'd been accepted into law school when, in fact, she was on a waiting list.
The scandal prompted changes prior to this year's pageant. Local pageant officials were forced to supply documents supporting contestant claims, and the documents were closely scrutinized by pageant director Margaret Baker.
The state pageant also got permission from the Miss America Pageant to do away with a grade-point average question that almost got Medlin in trouble.
Medlin, who learned she would serve as Miss Virginia in a telephone call, was ``an outstanding Miss Virginia,'' pageant spokesman Bud Oakey said.
During her reign, the Radford University graduate from Virginia Beach worked to increase children's understanding of the handicapped and spoke on drug awareness, parenting, marketing and a variety of other topics. ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS
Winner Michelle Kang, 21, played the ``Hungarian Rhapsody'' as her
talent entry in the Miss Virginia Pageant on Saturday. by CNB