Stam entered and won her first pageant at the age of 15. After winning the Teen Jackson County title she advanced to the Miss Kentuckiana Pageant. She won the overall Miss Kentuckiana title (a title won by several successful pageant winners) and advanced and won the national pageant and edging out first runner-up, Amber Seyer, who went on to compete in Miss Teen USA and Miss USA. According to Pageant.net, Stam made history as the first Hoosier to win a triple crown in the same pageant system starting at the local, state, and national levels.
