Arts & Culture
Miss Utah sends apology to Giraldi after Miss Lehi Teen controversy
Miss Utah officials issued an apology and accepted blame for the recent Miss Lehi Teen pageant controversy on Thursday. The organization has also offered Amanda Giraldi a place in the Miss Utah pageant.
The following letter was sent to Giraldi:
“Hi Amanda and the Giraldi family,
We send our sincere apologies for the events that have taken place over the past 24 hours and the hurt they have caused you and your family. Our state leadership takes full responsibility for the oversight in eligibility criteria, and our hearts also go out to you for the distress that was caused by the removal of your crown and sash. We want to be clear that these were the result of human error, not an error from the Miss America national office. We are actively working to put measures into place to ensure that future mistakes like these are prevented.
Amanda, first and foremost, we congratulate you for your performance at the Miss Lehi’s Teen Competition. We acknowledge your hard work, preparation, and excellence, and we value your participation in our program.
We understand that the Miss Lehi Organization and Lehi City have offered an alternate option for you to receive the scholarship you deservedly earned at the Miss Lehi’s Teen Competition and the opportunity to serve Lehi City. We recognize that no offering can fully rectify the situation, but the Miss Utah Executive Board would also like to offer you the opportunity to become an at-large titleholder in the Miss Utah program. This includes an official Miss America local titleholder sash, crown, and the opportunity to compete at the Miss Utah 2024 Scholarship Competition, for which you are eligible.
Once again, our hearts go out to you in full support, and we are truly sorry for the pain you have experienced in our program.
Sincerely,
Madison Wilson
Whitney Thomas
Amy Rasmussen
Del Beatty
Tawnya Monson
Executive Board, Miss Utah Scholarship Organization, Inc.”
