ELKO, Nevada (AP) A U.S. college student was crowned Mr. Hong Kong but is choosing education over fame.

Michael Tsu, a student at Brigham Young University in Utah, was crowned Mr. Hong Kong 2008 earlier this month.

``It was an amazing time,'' said Tsu, 23, who was elected in front of a television studio packed with 700 screaming women and broadcast to millions.

The contest, organized by Hong Kong television station TVB, interviewed as many as 300 applicants in Los Angeles before narrowing the field down to 12 _ including Tsu.

``I had a decision over the summer of whether to work in Elko or attend the competition. I chose to go to the competition,'' he told the Elko Daily Free Press. His parents live in Elko, in northern Nevada, and went to high school here.

After winning the competition, Tsu said he made the difficult decision to turn down a contract with the television station, a cruise, monetary commissions and other perks to return to college and finish his degree.

``There was a chance to become famous, but it would be better to have a degree and then attempt to become famous rather than not have anything to fall back on in the future,'' he said. ``Even actors and movie stars should get an education and know a little more about life.''

The competition itself included talent, swimsuit, debate, acting, dancing and martial arts portions. Tsu said he was told he won in part because ``all the women in the audience said I have a really cute smile and talk really funny.''

``I don't speak Cantonese fluently and would sometimes say things that kind of made sense, but they understood what I was trying to say,'' he said. ``They thought it was cute.''

Tsu lived in Hong Kong with his parents for two years as an adult. During the summers, he plans to return to Hong Kong to teach English

``There are a lot of kids (in Hong Kong) that need help with their oral English,'' he said. ``I think teaching and dealing with people is something very vital to business. You have to have people skills.''