Miss Wisconsin makes father's prison time a Miss America platform

Opera-singing Laura Kaeppeler wins the talent competition category during the first round of the Miss America competition Jan. 10, 2012, in Las Vegas.

/ AP/Miss America

(CBS/AP) LAS VEGAS - Making her father's prison sentence her platform for the Miss America pageant was a family decision, 23-year-old Laura Kaeppeler has said.

Pictures: Miss America 2012
Miss Wisconsin wins Miss America pageant

The Wisconsin beauty queen, who won the 2012 Miss America pageant, said she wanted children of incarcerated adults to feel less alone, to have mentoring and to pursue as much of a relationship with their parents as possible.

"There are many of you out there and I was one of them but it doesn't have to define you," Kaeppeler told The Associated Press after winning the crown and $50,000 scholarship on Saturday night. More than 2 million U.S. children have a parent in jail, she estimated.

The brunette opera singer, who won the talent preliminaries, was 18 and just graduating from high school when her father started an 18-month sentence in federal prison for mail fraud.

Her father, Jeff Kaeppeler, said when his daughter approached the family about making the personal topic her chosen platform, they supported it even though they knew it would be discussed publicly.

"It taught us that God can turn anything into good if you let him," he said. "Laura is totally on board with that idea. She let that drive her and inspire her this past year to get ready for this."

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Miss America 2012

[daniele7ster]

They still have the Miss America pageant?

[shedhouserob]

Hurrah for her. Not her father but it takes guts to do what she did!!!

[msay3]

Good for her! She pre-empted the gossip mongers and kicked them in the groin! Now she can move forward and not have to pay attention to the naysayers!!

[gruven13777]

So what was her platform?...that we're suppose to feel sorry for the children of parents who go to prison for stealing millions of dollars from other people? I don't get it.