Photos: Indian American Nina Davuluri crowned Miss America

September 16, 2013 Parasshuram Shalgar Entertainment 1

Miss New York contestant, Nina Davuluri became the first Indian American to win the century-old pageant of Miss America. Nina was crowned as Miss America 2014 in the ceremony held in Atlantic City, N.J.

The 24-year-old was delighted after winning the crown and expressed her happiness in a press conference. She said that she was happy that the organization had embraced diversity and thanked the children watching at home who can finally relate to a new Miss America.

A native of Syracuse in N.Y., Nina wants to become a doctor and is using the scholarship of $50,000 she won from a pageant to apply to medical school.

She is also the second Miss New York to win consecutively after Mallory Hagan won the Miss America crown in January. Nina’s victory met with some negative comments on Twitter as considering her Indian heritage.

She brushed those aside. However, she brushed them aside, saying that she always viewed herself as first and foremost American.

The pageant had seen 53 contestants participating from each state of America, Columbia, Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Miss California, Crystal Lee was the first runner-up.

The top 5 finalists included Rebecca Yeh (Miss Minnesota), Myrrhanda Jones (Miss Florida) and Kelsey Griswold (Miss Oklahoma).