Originally from Farmington Hills, Michigan, Kirsten Haglund is 22 years old and most recently traveled 20,000 miles a month serving as Miss America 2008. During that time, she served as Goodwill Ambassador for the Children's Miracle Network, spokesperson for the Zerosmoke© Company, and was a tireless advocate for increased awareness of Eating Disorders as a public health priority. On behalf of this cause, she made guest speaking appearances at Harvard University, the National Press Club in Washington D.C., and for the United States Congress while lobbying with the Eating Disorders Coalition for Mental Health Parity and the FREED Bill. Kirsten continues to be an advocate for legislation related to eating disorders, as well as travel and speak domestically and abroad (most recently Germany and Brazil) on eating disorders and women's health issues.
In February of 2009 she founded the Kirsten Haglund Foundation, whose mission is to fundraise to provide treatment scholarships to assist families and individuals battling eating disorders. The Foundation has worked in collaboration with treatment centers across the country to award more that 10 scholarships this past year (valued at $150,000 each). In other work, Kirsten is a regular contributor on Sean Hannity's Great American Panel on the Fox News Channel, and America's Nightly Scoreboard on the Fox Business Network. She is also active in volunteering with One Hundred Days, an organization based in Atlanta that is building Rwanda's first children's hospital, and creating small business initiatives in the Kigali community. She just recently returned from traveling to Kenya and Rwanda with the organization. Kirsten is finishing her degree in Political Science at Emory University, with a minor in Philosophy.
(Courtesy Miss America)