A persuasive Northern Arizona University freshman has persuaded talk show host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres to visit Flagstaff and film a segment of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."
DeGeneres picked Flagstaff as the winner of her daytime television show's "Wish You Were Here" contest. She and her crew were in Flagstaff on Friday.
NAU student Milly Venezia suggested Flagstaff to DeGeneres, who announced the winning city on Tuesday's show. More than 9,000 entries from across the country were submitted.
Venezia, 18, is from Phoenix and is majoring in elementary education. She is just completing her first semester at NAU.
Reached by phone Wednesday, she said she is excited about the DeGeneres visit and wrote the letter because she thinks Flagstaff is a great place to live and visit.
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"I grew up in Phoenix my whole life," Venezia said. "Coming from a bigger city, it was nice to come up to Flagstaff. It's very homey in Flagstaff. It's small; you feel so much closer to everyone, and everyone is so nice up here. I thought she (DeGeneres) would like it. I didn't think it would go this far. I don't feel like it's happening."
Venezia also said she is a regular viewer of DeGeneres' show.
"I try my best all the time to watch it," she said. "It depends on my classes or if I have a meeting. All the girls on the floor, we watch it together."
The contest was launched in October and asked viewers to help DeGeneres find a town to visit by submitting photos, videos and stories that tell why their town is special.
What Venezia said in letter
Venezia's winning letter to DeGeneres, which the star read on her Tuesday show, stated:
"Dear Ellen: I am currently a freshman at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. I think it would be a great show if you visited a college campus. I live in Sechrist on the Second Floor in the South wing and on behalf of the girls in my wing I would like to invite you to come visit us. In case you are wondering: 'What is there to do in Flagstaff?' Flagstaff is a pretty small town, but some movies have been filmed here, including 'Raise Your Voice' and 'Forrest Gump' — well, maybe two. Tom Hanks ran down a street, and that's pretty much it. So if you came to Flagstaff, it would make us super excited and there would probably be a lot of screaming. So will you please come visit us, Ellen?
"Sincerely, Milly Venezia and the Second Floor South Girls."
On TV
The show is scheduled to air at 3 p.m. Wednesday on ABC.
