LAS VEGAS, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- Miss Virginia Caressa Cameron said she is "excited" to have been named Miss America 2010 at a ceremony in Las Vegas.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal said Sunday that Cameron, 22, officially received the Miss America crown from Miss America 2009 Katie Stam at Planet Hollywood Saturday night.
"I am so excited to be embarking on this journey," Cameron said after the ceremony.
To earn her crown, the TV new anchor hopeful tackled the platform issue of "Real Talk: AIDS in America" and narrowly beat out first runner-up Miss California Kristy Cavinder.
Second runner-up honors went to Miss Tennessee Stefanie Wittler, while Miss Louisiana Katherine Putnam was named third runner-up.
Cameron said she was first attracted to the Miss America pageant when she was 7 and immediately felt she could make a difference if she won the annual contest, the Review-Journal reported.
"I knew this organization was a perfect fit for me," Cameron said. "That's when I decided I wanted to take my journey and not only impact (my own town) but also my state and also impact America."
