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Hagan said it was her mother who encouraged her to address the problem of child sex abuse, which had "rippled through" her family. Hagan's mother, Mandy Moore, was overcome with emotion and wiped tears away as she spoke. "It's very overwhelming," she said. "It's all hitting me so fast." Hagan said she will work to make education to prevent child abuse mandatory in all 50 states. Also working against Hagan was her final question: Should schools hire
armed guards in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., shooting? Conventional wisdom holds that contestants who receive questions about controversial topics are less likely to win. But Hagan said she didn't panic. "I'm not sure that it came out as eloquently as I would have liked it to, but my views remain the same: It's never OK to fight violence with violence." With the crown, she receives a $50,000 college scholarship and a year as an instant celebrity and role model. She defeated Miss South Carolina Ali Rogers, who took second, and Miss Oklahoma Alicia Clifton, who finished third.
Hagan has always been "very independent," said Gunnels, who describes herself as a "neighborhood mom" in the old railroad town near Auburn University. "I think she willed this to happen," said Gunnels. "She's just that determined. Who would have that that a girl from Opelika, Ala., would ever do that?"
[Associated
Press;
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