The cause behind the crown

Betsy Uschkrat might want to put on an evening gown and a tiara, then hear her name called as the next Miss America, but she's not looking for the royal treatment. She's in it to make an impact. \nThis 24 year-old IU graduate student, who claimed the Miss Indiana title just months after being named Miss IU last February, can tell you exactly who Miss America is: an outstanding positive role model for young women. \n"I have the chance to live my dream of making a difference and become a national role model," she said. "And I'm in the best shape of my life."\nUschkrat lit up the room as well as the stage Sunday, Jan. 7 during a send-off party held in her honor.\n"Betsy represents each of you young women," Co-Executive Director of the Miss Indiana pageant Frank Ricketts told the crowd. "She's kind, grateful, sincere - just a solid young woman." \nAnd that is just in her day-to-day life. \nShowing off her pageant attire as well as an accomplished singing voice, the young opera enthusiast welled up with tears as she thanked a room full of supporters. \nBut she could have much more to tear up about if she becomes the 2007 Miss America.\nThe tiara-toting Texas native might well be the answer to a Hoosier-sized losing streak. Winning the Miss America crown would be the first Indiana victory in pageant history. \nShe says Indiana's winless past doesn't discourage her.\n"I know that I'm qualified to be Miss America, and I definitely plan on winning." \nThe countdown has begun. With the pageant airing live from Las Vegas in less than a month, Uschkrat is spending her final days in Bloomington as a student who continuously remembers those who are a little farther away from their own dreams than she is. \nShe has spent the past eight years helping to fight hunger, and has raised more than $13,000 for charity in the last year alone as Miss Indiana. She recalls being approached on the streets of Houston, Texas by a mother and her young son who hadn't eaten that day.\n"All I had to give him was a bottle of water and a box of raisins, but he ate them so fast," Uschkrat said. "It broke my heart. He's just a kid. It's not his fault that he was fighting poverty."\nThe idea of using the title of Miss America to fight poverty on a national scale would be "simply amazing," she said. \nAlthough Uschkrat was drawn to the issue for a number of reasons, she claims it was her parents who gave her a caring heart. \nAnd her mother, Karen Uschkrat, who will accompany her daughter to Las Vegas, says she just couldn't be prouder.\n"This is her dream, all of her hard work, and I just couldn't be more excited for her," she said.\nThe young beauty queen will leave for the pageant Friday, Jan. 19, but she says she won't be going as the stereotypical super-thin contestant. \n"I'll be there in my normal size, with my normal frame," she said. "Not a size two." \nWith the sudden celebrity dieting craze, Uschkrat says Miss America is a breath of fresh air in the public spotlight.\n"Miss America is the right kind of role model," she said. "And I'm actually eating more than I have in the past. Nutrition is important."\n"I've spent the past year preparing for this job, not becoming super skinny. That's what Miss America is -- an amazing year long job. It's hard work, and you've got to be ready."\nBut the avid shopper and karaoke singer said she will not be ashamed if she returns without a crown. \n"I'll still be Miss Indiana," she said. "And there is so much I could do right here"