On Sunday, the Miss America pageant crowned their 2019 queen, Miss New York Nia Imani Franklin in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Franklin, 25, is a classical vocalist and sang from the opera La Boheme as her talent selection.
Miss New York nailed the talent competition! #missamerica pic.twitter.com/nlmc431H1K
— Jenice Armstrong (@JeniceArmstrong) September 10, 2018
During her onstage interview, Franklin said that she was a minority in her schools growing up and she used her passion for music and the arts to fit in.
So, it was no big surprise that her platform is “advocating for the arts.”
After being crowned, Franklin gave thanks to the ones that helped her get to the big win.
“I’m feeling really blessed right now,” she said. “I want to thank God because without him I wouldn’t be standing here. It took a lot of perseverance to get here, and I just want to thank my beautiful family for coming, my mom and my dad, who’s a survivor of cancer, and I love him so much. I want to thank all of my sisters behind me. We’ve had a wonderful week together, and I love each and every one of you.”
Franklin is also the first Miss America winner to compete in the pageant without the swimsuit competition.
Leah Dorsey
@leahselena_