If she is chosen as Miss America, Hancock saidshe will take a year off from Harvard. MissAmerica travels about 20,000 miles around thecountry during her tenure.
Hancock said before winning the contest she hadplanned to spend a quiet summer as a residentialadvisor at a summer program in Ky., where she wasraised.
Although she is not originally from Mass.,attending Harvard made her eligible to competehere, Klamkin said.
Noting that she was named after the great Mass.philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson, class of1837--her middle name is Emerson--Hancock said sheadores Mass. and Boston.
"When a person is from a state they tend totake for granted all the wonderful things," shesaid. "I love the city and the historyespecially."
Hancock's Harvard affiliation may give her aboost, especially in the personal interviewsegment of the contest, Klamkin said.
"I think that's certainly going to stand her ingood stead," he said. "I think they'll beinterested to meet her and get to know her as aconsequence."
Hancock said when discussing the environment,she does not use technical information from herenvironmental science classes.
"If they ask you something like that and youcome out with something scientific, they're notgoing to understand it," Hancock said. "Usually, Ihave to answer pretty simply."
Hancock said she has dreamed of becoming MissAmerica from a very young age. When she was a highschool senior, she won the Kentucky Junior Misscontest, and her sister and mother have alsocompeted in local contests.
"Like every other little girl I'd alwayswatched the Miss America pageant on TV," Hancocksaid.
A Harvard cheerleader, Hancock reached thestate competition through a contest in SuffolkCounty, one of many regional pageants heldthroughout the state.
Her Harvard residence is not in Suffolk County,but the Suffolk contest is open to anyone in thestate, Klamkin said.
Hancock said her boyfriend, Scott M. Carmack'01, was happy to be dating Miss Massachusetts.
"He's very excited," she said.