Otto first competed in a pageant in 1996 when she competed at
Miss Pennsylvania Teen USA. Two years later, after winning the Miss Three Rivers local title, Otto competed in her first
Miss Pennsylvania pageant. She won the Talent award in preliminary competition and was crowned Miss Pennsylvania at the conclusion of the final competition on July 12, 2003. She was the first Miss Pennsylvania from Murrysville. Her win earned her a $6,000 scholarship. In September she went on to compete in the
Miss America 2004 pageant where she performed "Non Ti Scordar Di Me" as her talent selection, the same song she performed in the state pageant. At the
Miss America Pageant, she was the first Miss Pennsylvania to win the Bernie Wayne Performing Arts Award and the first Miss Pennsylvania since 1991 to win a non-finalist talent award. During her reign she made over 150 appearances as a keynote speaker or featured performer, travelling between 2,000 and 4,000 miles each month crisscrossing the state by car. Her platform issue "Challenging Americans to Address Poverty" was inspired by her work with National Student Partnerships (NSP), for which she served as co-director in 2001. Candace was a co-founder of NSP Evanston and has served on the advisory board of NSP Pittsburgh. ==Education and career==