New Yorker Kira Kazantsev won the coveted 2015 Miss America Pageant crown yesterday.
As part of the competition, Kazantsev, 23, sang Pharrell William’s song “Happy”, keeping time by tapping a red plastic cup. She said in a question-and-answer segment that sexual assault in the U.S. military was a problem that needed to be addressed by U.S. lawmakers.
Wearing a long-sleeved, backless white gown and clutching red roses, the newest Miss America walked the runway with a wide smile and waved to a cheering crowd in Atlantic City, where the 94-year-old beauty pageant returned last year after eight years in Las Vegas.
Kazantsev’s win marked New York’s third consecutive Miss America title. The crown was handed to Kazantsev by Nina Davuluri, a New Yorker and the first Indian-American winner.
The title comes with a $50,000 scholarship.
