Regardless of whether she is one of the final 15 contestants for the Miss America crown to be announced tonight, Sparks resident Julianna Erdesz has accomplished her mission.

“I have paid off my student loans,” Erdesz told the Sparks Tribune by telephone while taking a short break from pageant activities at the Planet Hollywood hotel in Las Vegas, Friday afternoon. “That’s what it’s all about.”

Erdesz, representing the entire Silver State as Miss Nevada, started competing in pageants just five years ago as a way to earn scholarship money for college. Now that she has reached the maximum pageant age of 24, she is competing for the top crown in the country and possibly the world.

All this week, Erdesz has been going through preliminary judging for Miss America. On Monday she had an interview about her platform issue, the ArtsReach program at Boys & Girls Clubs of America. On Tuesday was her talent competition, in which she sang a song from “Starlight Express” and on Wednesday she showed off her public speaking skills. Finally on Thursday, she had her evening gown and swimsuit judging.

Though she was not named as winner of any of the preliminaries, Tuesday’s talent was definitely memorable for the beauty from Nevada.

“In middle of the talent competition I had a movement with my arm and my strap broke,” Erdesz said. “I still did well ... but it was kind of a shock just for a split second.”

New for this year’s pageant, contestants took part in filming a four-part reality series for the TLC network called “Miss America: Countdown to the Crown.” During Friday night’s final episode, viewers voted for four contestants to join the 11 chosen by judges for tonight’s finals. Erdesz said the time spent filming the show on the Queen Mary cruise ship in Long Beach, Calif. was fun and not as invasive as such shows often appear to be. She said there were designated filming hours to maintain some privacy, but after taping was done she said it took some time for her to adjust back to normal.

“It’s funny because when I came home it felt strange to not have a microphone on me 24 hours a day,” said Erdesz, whose career goal is listed as becoming a Broadway performer. “Now that we’re in rehearsal for production, it feels more normal in a sense to have cameras around.”

The change is just the latest in the continuing search for a new audience for a venerable institution. After years of sinking ratings, ABC dropped the pageant in 2005, forcing it to uproot from the Atlantic City Boardwalk in New Jersey to the Las Vegas Strip. The pageant also moved to cable television, where only a fraction of the revenue and viewers were waiting.

Without a network television contract, the amount of scholarship money awarded plummeted. In 2007, the Miss America Organization distributed $445,000 in scholarships, less than half the total four years earlier, according to the non-profit's federal tax returns.

This year's winner takes a $50,000 scholarship along with a year of travel and public appearances.

Last year's pageant was a bright night for Miss America. The number of viewers rose 50 percent over the previous year's airing on Country Music Television. The lead-in reality series "Miss America: Reality Check," appeared to have drawn new viewers by promising to make over and mock the contestants' dated style. Updates to the live pageant broadcast loosened things up.

A favorite moment for those involved: When Miss Utah 2008 Jill Stevens, an Army medic who was voted into the finals by viewers, dropped and gave the crowd push-ups.

Erdesz’s garment mishap was not a moment in Miss America history, and in fact it didn’t even phase her.

“Surprisingly I have been really calm (throughout the competition),” Erdesz said. “I feel ready. I feel prepared to do my best and whatever happens, happens.”

She also expressed thanks for the attention she has received locally.

“I hope to make Reno-Sparks proud and I’m thankful for all support I’ve received,” Erdesz said.

For those heading to Las Vegas this weekend, tickets are still available for tonight’s Miss America Pageant finals at Planet Hollywood Resort-Casino. Tickets can be purchased through TicketMaster for $150. Use promotional code 241 to purchase two-for-one tickets.

Julianna Erdesz

Reno, Nevada

Age: 24

Education:

ICDA Charter High School

American Musical & Dramatic Academy

The New School University

Platform Issue: "ArtsReach" at Boys & Girls Clubs of America

Scholastic Ambition: To obtain a Master's degree in Drama

Talent: Vocal

Scholastic Honors: Received $20,000 audition-based scholarship to AMDA; Deans List while a student at the University of Nevada Reno; Earned $10,000 Governors Millennium Scholarship

Career Ambition: To become a Broadway performer

Local Competition Sponsor: Miss Carson City