No other contestant wore a dress with sleeves or a one-piece swimsuit. Even her own father lamented, "She is not what they are looking for."

But Anna Nelson was. This Mormon from Rock Springs, Wyo., was crowned Miss Wyoming over the summer in the Miss Wyoming USA Pageant.

From the very first day, Nelson stood out. When aspiring contestants had to show up in a pink dress at the "Legally Crowned" pageant, modeled after the movie "Legally Blonde," Nelson draped a white half-sweater over the top of her dress.



"I could not find a modest pink dress," she said.

Organizers originally thought she was self-conscious about showing bare skin, but Nelson explained it was because of her religion. They were understanding but said more appropriate alterations would have to be made.

When the actual competition began, pink was not required, but Nelson couldn't locate a dress that met her specifications. She drove all the way to Provo, Utah, to find one.

Nelson says she wasn't nervous about the dress, but the one-piece swimsuit was another matter. She was fully aware of the inherent disadvantage.

"A lot of people don't understand why we are modest," Nelson said. "It is not that we feel ashamed of our bodies. It's that we respect them and we acknowledge that they are a gift from our Heavenly Father."

Renown from winning the pageant has brought Nelson many speaking opportunities. She will visit some 20 schools across the state in the next few months before the Miss USA Pageant in January. Her platform speech for the pageant, which she will give in high schools, is on the subject of underage drinking.

But just as important to her is speaking to LDS youths about living the standards of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Nelson was invited to speak at a girls camp, the same one she attended when she was younger. The following Sunday, a 16-year-old girl handed her a note that said she had struggled with some of the problems Nelson had talked about. Nelson's example gave the girl courage and resolve to change her life.

"That is what this is really about," Nelson said, "trying to do something that is bigger than you are. If you are not in it to help other people, you shouldn't be in it at all."

Nelson, a 19-year-old just beginning her sophomore year at the University of Wyoming, is an avid reader. Her library contains everything from the complete works of Jane Austen to the complete works of Edgar Allan Poe. According to her mother, two vehicles were required to move her to college.

"One car was filled entirely with books," Cindy Nelson said.

Nelson will study secondary education/English at the University of Wyoming, where she received numerous scholarship offers, including an honors scholarship, a dance scholarship and a Hathaway scholarship. Nelson's role model is her mother, but Dad won out when it came to college. Nelson was accepted to BYU, the school her mother wanted her to attend, but followed the scholarships to Wyoming. Nelson's father is a big Cowboy fan.

Cindy Nelson says her daughter has always been a strong young woman. When weighing the pros and cons of entering the pageant, Nelson said, "I have already made my decision. If I don't win, it is OK."

"She amazes me that she is brave enough that when she makes a decision, she stands with it," Cindy Nelson said. "I truly know that she knows who she is."

E-mail: wjewkes@desnews.com