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So it’s official: America’s most beautiful women come from New York.
Miss New York Kira Kazantsev was crowned Miss America late Sunday, the third straight year that the Big Apple’s local beauty queen has gone on to win the national pageant.
The former Miss America, Nina Davuluri, also from New York, ceded her crown to Kazantsev after the competition at Atlantic City in New Jersey.
Kazantsev, 22, isn’t just a pretty face. She chose protecting women against domestic violence as her advocacy issue and says she’s aiming for a master’s degree in business administration and a law degree.
The crowning kicks off a yearlong national speaking tour and appearances as a national goodwill ambassador for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
And her Miss America title comes with a $50,000 scholarship to continue her education.
For the talent portion of the competition, Kazantsev performed a version of the Pharrell Williams song “Happy” in which she sat cross-legged on stage and used a red plastic cup and the palms of her hands to sound the rhythm.