Miss New York Crowned Miss America 2014

Miss New York, Nina Davuluri took home the 2014 Miss America Crown, making her home state the second consecutive holder of the prestigious title. The 24-year-old aspiring physician is also the first Indian-American to take home the crown.

“I’m so proud to be the first Indian Miss America,” Davuluri said in a statement. “I’m so happy this organization has celebrated diversity, and, on this stage tonight, there was so much diversity.”

The contestants of Miss America participated in a personal interview and question portion, talent exhibition and were judged on their appearance in swimwear and evening gowns. Davuluri performed a Bollywood inspired dance and expressed her opposition to plastic surgery during her on stage interview.

The 2014 Miss America pageant frequented the headlines, as contestants broke free of the traditional pageantry mold. Miss Iowa Nicole Kelly was born without part of her arm and Miss Kansas Theresa Vail happened to be the first pageant contestant to show tattoos.

Appropriately, The former Miss America and Miss New York, Mallory Hagan placed the crown atop Davuluri’s head culminating her crowning glory. As the 2014 title winner, Davuluri received a $50,000 scholarship, which she plans to use for graduate school expenses.