Nia Sanchez Crowned Miss Nevada USA 2014

By faraway

Nia Sanchez, Miss South Las Vegas was crowned Miss Nevada USA 2014 pageant on Sunday night, January 12 after competing against 32 contestants from all across the state at Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall on the Campus of UNLV in Nevada. Chelsea Caswell of Summerlin who crowned Miss Nevada USA 2013 , handed over the coveted crown to Sanchez, who placed first runner up at Miss Tourismo Latino in Ecuador
Sanchez, 24, won after passing three equal categories: evening gown, swimsuit and private question-and-answer session. Stephanie Cook , Miss Spring Valley finished first runner-up while Miss Clark County, Jessica Davis was named the second runner-up.

Brittany McGowan, Miss Southern Highlands placed as third runner-up while the fourth runner-up selected as Cierra Jackson, Miss Sunrise Manor. Sanchez , who wins a scholarship to Lindenwood University will represent Nevada at the finals of the nationally televised Miss USA 2014 pageant in June, which it could be held at Donald Trump's Doral Golf Resort and Spa in Doral, Florida. The winner of Miss USA 2014 will represent the United States at the 63rd edition of the Miss Universe 2014 pageant.

In the same night Alexa Taylor, Miss Summerlin was crowned Miss Nevada Teen USA 2014.

Las Cruces teen captures Miss New Mexico Teen USA title

By Andi Murphy
http://www.lcsun-news.com

LAS CRUCES >> After being named runner-up last year, Aundria Littlejohn, 17, knew she had to run for Miss New Mexico Teen USA again. "I decided I wanted to do it again because I wanted to win," she said.

And she did.

On Jan. 4, Littlejohn was crowned Miss New Mexico Teen USA by former pageant winner, Jacqueline Cai at the Las Cruces Convention Center, scoring the highest in the interview, swimsuit and evening gown portions of the competition. For the interview she was asked what she would do with her title if she won. Littlejohn responded she would make her family proud, campaign against bullying and give New Mexico the best representation possible. The second question was whether she thought Miley Cyrus was a good role model to which she responded, "she does what she wants and from that we can take away, as women of today, that we can do what ever we want -- not to that extreme."

She also wore a pink two-piece bikini for the swimsuit portion and a royal blue, double-sleeved evening gown with white rhinestones across the top and a deep back. The judges looked at 30 teens in their best bikinis and dresses, evaluating posture, fitness and elegance. When numbers were tallied and Littlejohn was announced the winner, her legs gave out and she sank to the floor.

"It was really crazy," she said. She gave a hug to runner-up, Saryn Swanson of Bernalillo, and took her first walk as Miss New Mexico Teen USA. For the rest of the year, she will be touring the state as an ambassador of Miss USA to attend school assemblies, charitable events and special events, such as the Governor's Ball, she said. She will have the perfect opportunity to reach thousands of grade school students across the state to talk to them about bullying, a subject she's familiar with.

"I've gone through that (bullying) since middle school where I found that kids -- for some reason -- found me easy to pick on," she said. "A lot of kids are not telling their parents. I want them to understand that they can get help and things will be OK." She would like to focus on the victims of bullying and make their lives better by speaking directly to them and letting them know that bullying is not only physical -- it's emotional, too -- and it does not have to stop anyone from doing anything they want to do, she said.

Littlejohn has moved around a bit and came from Las Cruces by way of Arizona and Los Angeles. The family follows their father R. Todd Littlejohn, who is a football coach, and currently with Aggie football.

Aundria Littlejohn, a senior at Centennial High School, has already been accepted to NMSU, but still has her options open to attend other colleges. She hopes to become a political campaign manager or a sports broadcaster because she loves sports, especially football, she said. She's a big San Francisco 49ers fan and loves to root for teams that her father's players are playing on, she said.

The rest of the Littlejohns are Toi-Yan, mother, and little sisters Aniya, 13, and Ahria, 10, both of whom want to join pageants like their big sister, Aundria said. "We're very proud of both our ladies, both our winners," said Curtis Rosemond, president of CR Productions, the company that produces the Miss USA pageant. The 2014 Miss New Mexico USA is Kamryn Blackwood, 21, from Farmington. Her campaign is AIDS and breast cancer awareness, Rosemond said.

Both New Mexico pageant winners will go on to the national Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants some time in August. From there, pageant winners will go to the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss New Mexico pageants are also charity events and the organizers and contestants raised $7,000 for the Tough Enough To Wear Pink campaign and $79,000 in the last 14 years for dozens of local nonprofit organizations, Rosemond said.

The Miss USA pageant is a product of Miss Universe and is owned by NBC and Donald Trump. It was founded in 1952.

Miss Earth Florida pageant becomes Lee County event

Written by Tim Engstrom

A Fort Myers-based pageant production company has added a new jewel to its crown and Southwest Florida will share in the treasure. Envy Pageant Productions has acquired the franchise rights for the Miss Earth Florida and Miss Earth Florida Teen pageant set for March. Envy owner Suzi Hosfeld said the event will draw contestants from across the state and their families. “When you bring a state pageant to a city, it has an impact,” Hosfeld said. “If you have 50 girls, that means you have 50 hotel rooms, plus more for parents and grandparents and people flying in from all over the state. They will be going to restaurants and sight-seeing.”

Envy also produces the Miss Florida U.S. International and Miss Florida American Beauty state pageants as well as many local pageants. Hosfeld, a former Miss Wisconsin USA, founded the company in 1990 as a sister company to Envy Models & Talent. Today, the talent agency accounts for about 80 percent of her business revenue, while pageants account for about 20 percent but are growing. Pageants operate on a thin margin, Hosfeld said. A state-level event can cost about $60,000 to stage, offset by sponsorships and support from national organizations. Hosfeld said the Miss Earth event will expand to a three-day competition in 2015, which would mean additional room nights at local hotels, restaurants and attractions.
“We are going to adjust the schedule a little earlier or later next year so that we are not right in the middle of our peak season,” Hosfeld said. “That way, we can bring some business to the hotels when they are not as busy.”

Founded in 2001, the Miss Earth pageant is focused on candidates and winners who promote and get involved in the preservation of the environment. Contestants will compete in swimwear, evening gown and a short interview with the judges. Winners will compete at the national event this summer in New Mexico and will receive a prize package valued at more than $6,000. The international event is planned for the Philippines. “We look for girls who want to get out and be part of their community and truly be involved,” Hosfeld said. “People don’t always take us seriously because they think we are just a lot of pretty people running around. It’s just not true.” Client Alexander Burgos said working with Envy has helped him personally and professionally. “You get a lot of experience and you learn to speak and interact with people comfortably,” Burgos said.

Michaela Poole, Mrs. Florida American Beauty 2014 and an Envy client, said the pageants help instill confidence in contestants so they can take leadership roles in their communities. Poole, a lifelong dancer, said she was always comfortable on stage, but less so when meeting and talking to people. Not anymore, she said. “I really like making appearances and meeting people,” said Poole, the co-owner of Rhythm in Motion dance studio in Cape Coral. “I think we have helped each other’s businesses through the exposure.”

Miss America to announce date for pageant

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) - January 10, 2014 (WPVI)

Miss America is back in Atlantic City.

Nina Davuluri on Friday will announce the date for the next pageant in which her reign will end.

The Syracuse, N.Y., native was crowned Miss America in September in Atlantic City. The pageant, which originated in the Jersey shore resort in 1921, spent six years in Las Vegas before returning to New Jersey.

Davuluri is expected to stop at Atlantic City High School to encourage students to follow their dreams.

(Copyright ©2014 WPVI-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

Five arrested in connection with murder of former Miss Venezuela and British husband

By Agencies
3:20AM GMT 08 Jan 2014

Five men have been arrested following the murder of a former Miss Venezuela and her British ex-husband in front of their five-year-old daughter on an isolated highway in the South American country. 

The slaying of Monica Spear, 29, a popular soap-opera actress, and Thomas Henry Berry, a 39-year-old British citizen, was the latest high-profile crime in a country where killings are common in armed robberies and where rampant kidnapping has ensnared even foreign ambassadors and professional baseball players.

The victims were killed, and their daughter Maya wounded, after they resisted robbers by locking themselves inside their car when punctures disabled it. It followed a pattern in Venezuela of late-night assaults carried out by disabling cars with obstacles placed on roadways or by removing sewer covers. Spear and Berry were killed at about 10.30 pm. between Puerto Cabello, the country's main port, and the provincial capital of Valencia. They were returning from vacation to Caracas on a badly maintained stretch of highway that is lightly traveled at that hour. Their four-door sedan hit "a sharp object that had been placed on the highway" which punctured at least two of its tires, the director of the country's investigative police, Jose Gregorio Sierralta, told reporters. Two tow trucks arrived almost immediately afterward, said Sierralta, and the attack occurred after the car had been lifted onto one of the trucks.

Seeing the assailants coming, the travelers locked themselves inside and the assailants fired at least six shots, he said. "They fired with viciousness," President Nicolas Maduro said of the attackers in comments to state TV. Police in Puerto Cabello arrested five suspects, some under the age of 18, Sierralta added. It could not immediately be determined if Spear and Berry had called the tow trucks, or if any of the drivers were among those arrested for suspected involvement in the killings. Their daughter was in stable condition after treatment for a leg wound and was with relatives in Caracas.

The family had spent New Year's in the mountains of the western state of Merida then traveled to the plains, said Luis Carlos Dominguez, a longtime friend and former business associate of Berry. He said Berry was raised in Venezuela and ran a travel agency. "He knew Venezuela a lot better than many Venezuelans," said Dominguez, describing the slain couple as people "who really loved the country," had a good relationship despite their divorce and made it a point to vacation together. "They weren't together," he said. "But they were very attached for the benefit of their daughter."

Violent crime soared during the 14-year rule of Hugo Chavez, who died of cancer last March. Venezuelans list crime as their most pressing worry. The country has one of the world's highest murder rates - the United Nations has ranked it 5th globally - and violent crime is so rampant that Venezuelans tend to stay home after dark. Spear's death triggered a wave of anger on social media directed at the government's poor record on crime. Maduro lamented "the loss of a very spiritual young woman" actively involved in various charities.
Opposition leader Henrique Capriles called on Maduro to put aside political differences and unite "to win the fight against insecurity" that claimed nearly 25,000 lives last year. "It's an emergency." 

In response to the killings, Maduro announced that he would convene a security meeting on Wednesday that had originally been scheduled for the end of January. The meeting will bring together state governors and mayors of Venezuela's 79 most dangerous cities. According to the nonprofit Venezuelan Observatory of Violence, the oil-rich South American country's murder rate was 79 per 100,000 inhabitants last year. Government statistics put the rate lower. The nonprofit group says 95 percent of murders go unsolved.
Spear was crowned Miss Venezuela in 2004, was 5th runner-up in the Miss Universe pageant the following year and had acted in numerous soap operas, most recently in "Pasion Prohibida" for the U.S.-based Telemundo network. She split her time between Caracas and south Florida, said Dominguez, while English-born Berry lived in Caracas. Spear had more than 355,000 followers on Twitter and her feed over the last week included brief videos of vacation scenes sent on the popular Instagram service. In one video, posted Sunday and described as being taken on the plains of Apure state, Spear looks at the camera while riding a horse, turns away and then looks back, blowing a kiss.

Keith Bailey, deputy head of The British School in Caracas and a close friend of the family, said: ﾓThis is a difficult moment for us all and we are trying to support the family as best we can. Things like this happen all too often in Venezuela. As a foreigner living out here one doesnﾒt feel safe at all times.

Former Miss Venezuela Monica Spear Killed During Robbery

By JORGE RUEDA Associated Press

Assailants shot and killed a popular soap-opera actress and former Miss Venezuela and her Irish ex-husband in the presence of their 5-year-old daughter when they resisted a robbery, authorities said Tuesday.

Monica Spear, 29, and Henry Thomas Berry, 39, were slain late Monday night on a roadside near Puerto Cabello, Venezuela's main port, after their car broke down, the prosecutor's office said in a statement.

It said their daughter was in stable condition after getting medical attention for unspecified injuries. Local media reports said the couple had a good relationship despite being divorced and were awaiting a tow truck when attacked. Venezuela has one of the world's highest murder rates and violent crime is so rampant that Venezuelans tend to stay home after dark. Spear's death triggered a wave of anger on social media directed at the populist government's poor record on crime.

According to the nonprofit Venezuelan Observatory of Violence, the oil-rich South American country's murder rate was 79 per 100,000 inhabitants last year. Government statistics put the rate lower. Spear was crowned Miss Venezuela in 2004 and had acted in numerous soap operas for the U.S.-based Telemundo network, most recently "Pasion Prohibida."

She split her time between Venezuela and the United States and was on vacation when slain.

Spear had more than 355,000 followers on Twitter and her feed over the last week included brief videos sent on the popular Instagram service of vacation scenes.

In one video, posted two days ago and described as being taken on the plains of Apure state, Spear looks at the camera while riding a horse, turns away and then looks back, blowing a kiss.

Miss USA, Erin Brady, Is Officially Off the Market: Engagement Ring Pictures

Source: http://www.thepageantplanet.com

Miss USA 2013, Erin Brady recently posted a picture on her Instagram of her engagement ring with the caption, “Cheers to finally putting together the details on our wedding. Well, one day.”

Erin Brady entered the Miss Connecticut USA pageant in 2011, seeking to represent CT in the Miss USA 2012 competition. The East Hampton, Conn. Native placed first runner-up; not bad considering it was her first pageant, ever. About a month after the October 2011 event, Brady’s boyfriend Tony Capasso proposed, and she said yes.“He had it planned and he said, ‘Thank God you didn’t win because it totally would’ve blown our plans,’” Brady recalled in an interview with “The Ralphie Show.” “After the first Miss Connecticut USA Pageant we left for Italy, about three weeks later.”

The current titleholder revealed that she and Capasso discussed the idea of another try for the crown before she entered in 2012. “It was, ‘If this is something you want to do, by all means,” Brady noted of her fiancé’s response to her idea. “Obviously not knowing that I’d become Miss USA!”

Before competing on the USA stage, Brady had her wedding date set as the 9th of November, which we all know, was the date of the Miss Universe Pageant. “I wanted to live out my dream,” Brady told PEOPLE Magazine. She and her very understanding fiancé, Tony Capasso, discussed moving the date to a later time considering, pageant rules clearly state that titleholders are required to remain single throughout their reign.
Do you think Brady should be focusing on her big day right now or should she put it on the back burner and focus on the time left of her reign?

San Diego State University student crowned Miss California USA 2014

(source ABC 10 News, CA)

LONG BEACH - Miss California USA and Miss California Teen USA for 2014 were crowned Saturday during a pageant at the Terrace Theater in Long Beach.

Beverly Hills native Cassandra Kunze, 20, is the new Miss California USA. She is a student at San Diego State University. UCLA student Bianca Vierra, 18, who was born and reared in San Francisco, is the new Miss California Teen USA.

Kunze previously served as Miss Teen San Diego County and Miss Teenage California in 2012. Her interests include international law, politics and film studies. She is a 2011 graduate of Grossmont College in El Cajon.

Vierra is a model who previously served as Miss Teenage California in 2011 and Miss High School America in 2012. She describes herself as a "gym bunny" and has done volunteer work against bullying and on behalf of Angelman Syndrome awareness and the Cancer Prevention Institute of California and several other organizations. 

Miss Congeniality was Kristina Blum of Eastern Sierra, the pageant's first blind contestant; Miss Photogenic was Lauren York of Carlsbad; and the Producer's Choice recipient was Chanelle Tuck of Santa Cruz. The runners-up for Miss California USA were Natasha Martinez of Malibu, first runner-up; Amanda Delgado of North Orange County, second; Alexis Swanstrom of Pacific Beach, third; and York, fourth.

Runners-up for Miss California Teen USA were Gigi Gauthier of San Diego, first runner-up; Madison Day-Robinson of Carmel Valley, second; Toneata Morgan of Malibu, third; and Melanie Mitchell of Corona, fourth. Two teen contests were named Miss Teen Congeniality: Caitlin Jusay of Santa Barbara and Tiffany Cooper of Antioch. The Teen Producer's Choice award went to India Williams of Lafayette.

The first Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants were held in Long Beach in 1952. The first Miss Teen USA pageant was held in Florida in 1983.

Miss California pageants head to Long Beach where CSULB student will pass on her crown

From left, Sasha Ulysse (Miss Long Beach), Chloe Hatfield (Miss California Teen USA) and Taylor Cassady
 (Miss Teen Long Beach) gather in front of the Terrace Theatre in Long Beach. The Miss
California Teen and Miss California pageants will be held at the theatre Jan. 3-4.

Scott Varley — Staff photographer

By Richard Guzman, Press-Telegram

She knew it was inevitable, but it will still be a sad day for Cal State Long Beach freshman Chloe Hatfield when she has to give up her crown. The current Miss California Teen USA will pass on the title here in her hometown when the pageant, along with the Miss California USA competition, come to Long Beach’s Terrace Theater Friday and Saturday. But there’s a good chance her Miss California Teen crown, and the Miss California title too, will stay right here in the city. “It’s been a whirlwind,” said the energetic, blond 18-year-old of her experience as Miss California Teen USA as she stood outside the Long Beach Convention Center on a recent Wednesday morning. “It’s been so much fun and I’ve loved it. It’s going to be a bitter sweet moment to know that I’m going to be done being Miss Teen,” she said. Next to her were the two local hopefuls who will be going after their crowns — 18-year-old Taylor Cassady, who is a fellow Cal State Long Beach student and will be representing Long Beach in the teen pageant, and 23-year-old Sasha Ulysse, who will represent the city in the Miss California pageant. “I’m so honored and fortunate to be able to represent the city,” said Cassady, who, like Hatfield, studies nursing and has been competing in pageants since she was a child. For Ulysse, who just graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a bachelor’s in consumer affairs and has lived in Long Beach for six years, the event will be her first pageant and she’s understandably nervous but happy to be fulfilling a dream. “It’s really exciting for me. I’ve been wanting to do this since I was 12 but I didn’t have the means,” she said. With the cost of buying outfits, makeup and other expenses, Ulysse has spent about $3,000 preparing for the show. Her family and friends have helped her with sponsorships, and if she wins, the investment will pay off.

The Teen and Miss pageants are part of the Miss Universe Organization, which also produces the Miss USA pageant. Besides the crown and title, the winners of the Long Beach shows will go on to compete in the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants. The winners also get a modeling contract, scholarships, jewelry and other prizes. Getting there isn’t going to be easy though with more than 100 women competing in the Miss California pageant and more than 60 in the Miss Teen portion. The preliminary competition takes place Jan. 3 and dress rehearsal and the final coronation shows take place Jan. 4. Tickets are available to the public for all events.

“Becoming a state title holder has a lot of wonderful benefits. It’s huge exposure for them and it’s definitely going to be a lot of fun,” said Alex Kuty, the event’s associate producer. Long Beach has a long history with beauty pageants. The first Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants were held concurrently in Long Beach in 1952. The Miss Teen USA was first held in 1983 in Lakeland, Fla. But the Teen and Miss California pageants haven’t been back in the city since 1995 and it was a good time for the events to return, Kuty said.

“We wanted to come back for several reasons. The (Terrace Theater) and the hotels nearby worked out perfect for us, in addition to that there’s the harbor with the pier and all the things to do with family by the water, it was perfect for us,” she said. It also turned out to be fun for the contestants when they all came to Long Beach in November for the pageant orientation. They went to the Queen Mary and got to ride the Ferris wheel at The Pike as well as the hydro-bikes at Alamitos Bay. The outings were filmed and will be broadcast at the theater on the day of the event and online at pageantvision.com. For the local hopefuls it was a chance to show off their city and also try out some things they hadn’t done in Long Beach.

“I’m still getting to know this city myself and finding my little places, and being able to welcome all the girls to the city I now consider my home is really such an honor,” said Cassady, who is originally from Murietta. The contestants got a lot of attention when they were walking around the city, with people stopping to snap pictures of them, Ulysse said. “It felt like paparazzi almost; it was pretty nice,” she said. “And I got to ride the Ferris wheel. Even though I’ve lived out here in Long Beach that was my first time on the Ferris wheel and I was happy about that.” The pageants aren’t huge moneymakers for the city in terms of dollars spent by visitors who come to the event, with an approximate $360,000 impact for Long Beach. It’s a modest figure compared with some conventions, said Steve Goodling, president and CEO of the Long Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau. “But it’s another opportunity to showcase all of the great development that has occurred downtown,” he said. Meanwhile, Hatfield is happy another teen will get a chance to wear her crown, which she usually keeps in the trunk of her car in case she needs it for an impromptu appearance. After the pageant is over and a new winner is selected she plans to continue with her nursing studies at Cal State Long Beach, where not too many students know she is the reigning Miss California Teen USA, at least for a few more days.

Miss California USA: Pageant contestants want to dispel stereotypes

BY GREG MELLEN / THE REGISTER

Their answers are nearly as polished as their appearances.

Not a “world peace,” “end world hunger” or “create education better” answer to be found. Nor any other gaffes, real or imagined. The four local contestants entered in the upcoming Miss California USA and Miss California Teen USA pageants and outgoing Miss Teen, all from Long Beach, wanted to dispel the stereotypes and misconceptions they say others have about their endeavor. All seemed eager to hone their skills on a reporter. Though they have practiced their pageant walks and turns and sculpted their bodies for competition, nothing quite prepares a beauty queen for “the question” posed to her on stage in the final portion of competition. It is always the big unknown, the one thing you can't really ever prepare for.

And nothing threatens to unravel all that carefully constructed confidence and wholly undermine the preparation quite so much as a botched answer to a question about global or domestic issues.

And few things do more to cement the perception some have of beauty queens as vapid mannequins or Stepford wives. The image is still fresh of this year's Miss Utah staggering through a televised answer about ongoing wage disparities between men and women and famously uttering her “create education better” line. That relegated her to an also-ran and went viral online. It also landed her a spot on the “Today” show.

“I've been following the headlines. I don't want to be Miss Utah,” said Saby Ramirez, 18, a Cal State Long Beach freshman from Long Beach who's representing Signal Hill in the teen pageant. “People get the wrong stereotypes and negative views of pageantry,” said Taylor Cassady, 18, a freshman nursing student at CSULB. “Everyone jokes about world peace as an answer.”

“The biggest misconception is that it's only about beauty, said Sasha Ulysse, 23, a recent CSULB grad. “It's about determination and stamina. The pageant isn't all (we) do.” “I think pageant girls are the most focused and ambitious women, who just happen to look good,” said Nelly Umeh, 22, a Lakewood native in her junior year at UC Riverside. Chloe Hope Hatfield, 18, who will hand over the crown she earned four months ago when the standing Miss Teen California advanced to a different level of competition, said the notion of crazy and ruthless beauty queens is also overstated. Hatfield, a second-generation beauty contestant, said: “The pageants are where my best friends come from. I've never had a bad experience.”

The local Long Beach women competing in the pageants come from diverse backgrounds. Some are pageant veterans; several are trying it for the first time. Some have moms who were contestants and have passed it along. Others have come into it by pure happenstance. Some have gained sponsorship or help to pay the many thousands of dollars it costs to be in a pageant, and others have pulled extra work shifts and scrimped and borrowed.

Miss Universe Malaysia 2014 Results

SHAH ALAM: Christmas came early for the silver state as Perak-born Sabrina Beneett was crowned Miss Universe Malaysia 2014 by reigning Miss Universe Malaysia 2013 Carey Ng at Setia City Convention Centre last Thursday.

Hosted by Miss Universe Malaysia Organisation, the 23-year-old psychology and communications student proved to be the top choice among 16 finalists who were then narrowed down to the top four.

“I’m on top of the world. Winning this means a lot to me and I am proud to be given the chance to represent Malaysia,” said Beneett. “I’ll make sure that I’ll shine even brighter.

“I believe beauty is something people are inclined towards and in a way receptive to. It can make a difference in the right way.”

Beneett clinched the title with her heart-warming smile and candid answers.

The first runner-up was Lalitha Monisha while the second runner-up was Kausalya Ida. Lyn Lim emerged as the third runner-up.

Beneett will represent Malaysia in the 63rd annual Miss Universe International Pageant in Fortaleza, Brazil, in October next year.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: The 22 Most Influential Former Beauty Queens

by JENNIFER MICHALSKI

Last month, Maria Gabriela Isler of Venezuela was crowned Miss Universe — the 62nd woman to be crowned with the prestigious title since the competition was founded in 1952.

And while the Miss Universe crown represents one of the most honorable of all beauty titles, hundreds of pageants take place all over the world each year.

Throughout the past 60 years of Miss Universe and Miss USA competitions, former beauty queens have gone on to have successful careers — journalists such as Oprah Winfrey and Diane Sawyer, Oscar winners like Halle Berry, many leaders in philanthropy, and more.

Check out the former beauty queens who are doing their parts to change the world.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/beauty-pageant-queens-where-are-they-now-2013-12?op=1#ixzz2nxetbYs1

10 Things You Didn't Know About Gabriela Isler

Photos from the 53rd Miss International Beauty Pageant

Japan Miss International

Newly-crowned Miss International Bea Rose Santiago of Philippines, left, is congratulated by former Miss International 2008 Alejandra Andreu of Spain during the final of the Miss International 2013 Beauty Pageant in Tokyo Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2013. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

(source: http://www.komonews.com/news/entertainment/Photos--236222601.html?tab=gallery&c=y&img=11)

"Happy Holidays" clip from the Miss Universe Organization

Marymount Grad, Entrepreneur Named Miss District of Columbia 2014

Ciera Nicole Butts, a Marymount University graduate and entrepreneur, is the newest Miss District of Colombia.

Butts, 23, was selected Miss District of Columbia 2014 Dec. 2 at the 60th Annual Miss District of Columbia USA Pageant at the Renaissance Hotel in Northwest Washington, D.C. She was one of 43 contestants who competed in the contest, which included interview, swimwear, and evening wear categories. Butts, who also has worked as a anti-violence advocate for young people, was a standout in the field from the beginning of the competition. In the interview section of the program, she wore a white chiffon gown with a thick gold beaded sash, which glistened under the stage lights as she took her stand in the center of the stage, awaiting the judges’ questions. She told the judges her mother was her role model and inspiration and that her dream is to own a public relations firm.

When asked how people in society should assist the FDA officials in their effort to decrease the number of Americans who are afflicted by heart disease and obesity, she responded that the FDA had gone a long way in banning trans-fat in foods. “It is important that parents teach their children to eat healthy and consume foods in moderation, she added. “For instance, after working so hard throughout this pageant, I plan on going home and eating a cupcake to celebrate my hard work.”

During her undergrad years at Marymount University, Butts was a member of the Black Student Alliance, and also founded and served as the president and vice president of a program called Ladies Inspiring Strength for Tomorrow, or LIST. In the District, Butts has participated in various projects and assisted organizations such as St. Jude's Research Hospital, Becky's Fund and Key to the Cure. Along with the title, Butts received $50,000 in scholarship money and cash, clothing and other prizes. She will compete on behalf of the District of Columbia in the Miss USA Pageant and will represent the District of Columbia in local and national charitable events. Carla Crawford, executive state director of the Miss District of Columbia USA Pageant and the Miss District of Columbia Teen USA Pageant, said the competition helps young women realize their dreams.

Entertainment was provided by Bowie native and “X Factor” finalist Marcus Canty, an R&B singer with Epic Records. His single “Won't Make A Fool Out of You” was featured on the “Think Like a Man” movie soundtrack.