Donning a sparkling tiara and wearing rhinestone-covered jeans imprinted with the name of her hometown, 2006 MSU graduate Michelle Kimball became the third runner-up in the Miss Michigan Scholarship Program on Saturday.

Kimball, a Grand Rapids native who graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering, is Miss Greater Grand Rapids, a title she won in August 2005 and once before in 2003.

"I came across their Web site a few years back, and it was a scholarship pageant, so I thought I'd give it a shot," she said.

The Miss Greater Grand Rapids Scholarship Program, which is associated with the Miss America Scholarship Program, gives scholarships to talented young women based on a personal interview, talent, physical fitness and evening gown, said Kathy Dood, producer of Miss Greater Grand Rapids.

"The goal is to earn the right to go on to Miss Michigan and then on to Miss America," Dood said. "(Kimball's) goal for this pageant was to become Miss America."

After competing against 22 other contestants for the title of Miss Greater Grand Rapids, Kimball moved on to the Miss Michigan competition, an experience she said was nerve-racking, yet exciting at the same time.

"It was an unbelievable experience to go in front of thousands of people and to speak about my platform," she said.

Along with Kimball, 2004 MSU graduate Angela Corsi went on to win the title of Miss Michigan and will compete in the Miss America preliminaries in Los Angeles, Sept. 5-13, said Shelley Taylor, state executive director of the Miss Michigan Scholarship Program.

"This is a wonderful program that unfortunately few people realize how much good comes out of it," she said. "The winner received $10,000 in our program this year."

Corsi said she wasn't interested in becoming a contestant for the Miss Michigan Scholarship Program, but while looking to find scholarships to help pay for her education, she stumbled upon the opportunity with encouragement from her mother.

"I've earned over $30,000 in scholarships through this organization," she said. "It's definitely helped pay for my education at MSU, and I won't have to pay a cent toward my master's degree."

Next year, the Miss America preliminaries will be taped and made into a television program for U.S. viewers to call in and vote for seven of the 15 finalists to go on to Miss America, Taylor said.

Corsi said this year's Miss America competition will be an interesting experience.

"I never thought I'd be a reality TV star," she said. "But I'm about to be, so that's something new to me. It's definitely different. It'll give America an idea of what this Miss America pageant is all about."

Many people have a misconception that the Miss America pageant is glorious, and they put the contestants on a pedestal, Corsi said.

"We all have high educational goals," she said. "It'll give people of America a chance to meet their hometown girl."