Penn State Case Makes the Week Even More Emotional for Miss Greater Rockville

As if preparing for the upcoming Miss Connecticut competition were not enough, the Penn State sex abuse case has made the past few days even more emotional for Miss Greater Rockville Katlyn Lewicke.

Several factors have added themselves up. The 23-year-old Lewicke is from Western Pennsylvania. She's also a victim of past abuse.

And she has a passionate personal platform aimed at helping at-risk children.

Last week, former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was found guilty of 45 criminal charges related to sexual abuse of boys. Lewicke said she gets tense just thinking about it.

"Penn State is too close to home," said Lewicke, who was raised by her grandmother in Pennsylvania. "I have mixed emotions. "It's an amazing vindication of the victims - the offender is being punished. "But is it a reconciling situation, the verdict? It cannot help the victims."

She said the help comes from organizations like Love 146 and the national Rape Abuse and Incest Network, a large part of her personal platform.

Lewicke is leaving for New London today to begin representing Vernon at the Miss Connecticut competition, which lasts through the week. It is part of the wider Miss America competition umbrella and it will be her first competition playing the piano in the talent portion.

She had been performing ballet numbers in her past competitions, but an injured foot - a stress fracture of the left first metatarsal - has made en pointe too painful to pull off.

So she will be playing "Requiem for a Dream," a tune she described as "haunting" that comes off a little lighter on the piano as opposed to the usual violin.

Lewicke's win in Rockville is a testament to how strong her platform is.

"You'd be hard-pressed to find a Miss America competitor who has no platform, bit it's what sets me aside," Lewicke said. "I went to a good school (Smith) and I have a strong platform presentation. It's also a passion."

Will she bring up Penn State?

"If I am asked about it, I will talk about it," she said.

Could she get through it?

"It's my platform, so, yes," she said. "I have experienced it, but being involved in Miss America has made me stand a little straighter and walk a little taller."