For the second year in a row, Miss New York takes the crown.
On Sunday night, Nina Davuluri beat out 52 other contestants to become the first Indian-American woman to seize the Miss America title.
“Thank you so much,” the aspiring doctor, 24, said through tears, as last year’s titleholder Mallory Hagan crowned her in Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall.
Competing on a platform of “celebrating diversity,” Davuluri performed a fusion of classical Indian and Bollywood-style dancing in a dazzling red and turquoise ensemble after momentarily missing her stage cue.
During her interview, she was asked about Julie Chen’s decision to have surgery in order to further her career. “Unfortunately, I don’t agree with plastic surgery,” responded Davuluri, who graduated from the University of Michigan. “Be confident in who you are.
