The 2014 Miss America pageant held in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Sunday showcased not only the beauty but also the diversity of cultural backgrounds that allowed the participants to shine. Ms. New York, Nina Davuliri took home the crown and is the first Indian-American to do so. This is also the second year in a row that Ms. New York won the title of Miss America.
Nina Davuliri was crowned by Mallory Hagan, also Miss New York and title holder of Miss America 2013. Ms. Davuliri, a hopeful physician, received a $50,000 scholarship that she plans to use to get her through graduate school.
Diversity at its finest
The 24-year old Ms. New York is proud to be the first Indian-American to win the title of Miss America. She showed the world how proud she was of her heritage by performing a Bollywood fusion dance that left everybody watching amazed. The degree of diversity in the 2014 Miss America pageant was very evident. Many of the participants came from a wide range of cultural roots.
The new Miss America considers her win a huge achievement after defeating 49 other contestants who participated in the pageant. She told reporters that she was very happy in getting the coveted title. She also expressed her gratitude to the organization that allowed the pageant to showcase cultural diversity.
History in the making
After the many twists and turns of the pageant, it ended up with Ms. Davuliri from New York and Ms. Lee from California vying for the Miss America 2014 crown. According to Davuliri, both herself and Lee were making history as Asian-Americans.
Davuliri got a head start not only with her one of a kind Bollywood dance number but also with the way she answered the question given to her regarding the plastic surgery that renowned American TV personality Julie Chen underwent. In her answer, Davuliri strongly opposed the plastic surgery that Julie Chen underwent and commented that ethnic diversity should be cherished.
Making headlines
The 2014 Miss America competition was full of surprises as well. Some contestants in the preliminaries already made headlines in the newspapers, foremost of which is Nicole Kelly of Iowa who was born without a left forearm. Kelly said that the competition helped her promote the hope of people in overcoming disabilities. Kelly’s achievement was considered to be a very huge inspiration to persons with disabilities.
Miss Kansas Theresa Vail also got the attention of the media as the first contestant to display her tattoos in the competition. She was also not just a Miss America hopeful but holds the rank of sergeant in the Army National Guard.
Homecoming
This year, the almost century-old beauty pageant finally returned to Atlantic City, New Jersey after being held elsewhere for the past eight long years. Economists believe that the return of the pageant in New Jersey could help the local economy in getting back on its feet since Superstorm Sandy hit the state in 2013. According to the Atlantic City Alliance, a well-known economic and development group in the locality, the Miss America pageant could bring a total of $30 million in business opportunities.
Photo Credit: Nina Davuliri on FB
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