Vanessa Ballam, Miss Cache Valley/Miss Utah in Miss America Pageant
without permission. For list info see

Miss Vanessa Ballam, beautiful, accomplished, and poised LDS young woman, is in Atlantic City preparing for the Miss America Pageant. Vanessa, daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Michael Ballam of Logan, UT, was crowned Miss Cache Valley 1998-99, then succeeded in her challenge for the Miss Utah title which then gave her the opportunity to compete in the Miss America Pageant.

Vanessa is a very accomplished singer, an avid student, and a woman very much involved in the arts. Her platform, as Miss Cache Valley, was to increase awareness and involvement of youth in the arts.

Vanessa has already proven to be unique among pageant contestants by eliciting such comments from her sister contestants as, "she's real," and "she makes you feel as if you're important." Further information on Vanessa, her preparation for the pageant, and her experiences so far in the Miss America venue can be found in the pages of "The Herald Journal," and the "Cache Citizen," both Logan newspapers. Also, several articles have been written and pictures distributed through AP and UPI.

Submitted by
Donna J. Park
Scholarship Chairman
Miss Cache Valley Scholarship Program