Army logistics commander is crowned Miss USA! Miss D.C. whose father, mother and sister have also served their country breaks down in tears as she wins the national title
- Deshauna Barber was crowned Miss USA at the T-Mobile Arena off the Las Vegas Strip on Sunday night
- The 26-year-old claimed the title after giving a strong answer when asked about women in combat
- Barber beat Miss Hawaii Chelsea Hardin and Miss Georgia Emanii Jovan Davis who all made the final three
- At the start of the show, Steve Harvey made a cameo in a video poking fun at his infamous Miss Universe gaffe
This year's newly crowned Miss USA has both beauty and brains in spades - and has also served her country.
Miss
District of Columbia Deshauna Barber will go on to compete in the Miss
Universe contest as the winner of Sunday's 2016 Miss USA competition
held at the T-Mobile Arena off the Las Vegas Strip.
Barber,
who works as an IT analyst for the U.S. Department of Commerce in
Washington D.C. as well as a Logistics Commander for the 988th
Quartermaster Detachment Unit at Fort Meade, Maryland, broke down in
tears as she won.
The
26-year-old, whose mother, father, brother and sister have also served
in the army, claimed the title after giving a strong answer when asked
about women in combat, saying that gender doesn't limit women in
America.
Barber
said that women are just as tough as men during the question-and-answer
segment, adding: 'As a commander of my unit, I'm powerful, I am
dedicated. Gender does not limit us in the United States.'
Now, Barber,
who is the first-ever member of the military to win Miss USA, says
she'll be taking a break from the Army Reserves to juggle her new
duties. She said her current Army commitment is two days per month but
that there's great flexibility with the Reserves.
Scroll down for video
Miss District of Columbia Deshauna Barber broke down in tears as she was crowned Miss USA in Las Vegas on Sunday night
The
26-year-old army officer won after giving a strong answer about women in
combat, saying gender doesn't limit women in the U.S.
Barber
says she will use her year with the title supporting veteran's causes
and hopes to tackle the issue of suicide and post-traumatic stress
disorder among military members.
She
also said the presidential candidates, including former pageant owner
and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, should focus more on
veteran's issues instead of discussing unimportant topics.
Previously,
Barber has said that joining the military was the 'greatest decision'
she has ever made and while she has not yet been deployed overseas, if
President Obama asked her to fight in Iraq, she would jump at the
opportunity.
'I'd be there in a heartbeat,' she told the Las Vegas Sun. 'That's what I signed up for 10 years ago, and that's a commitment that I still stand on today.'
'I
think that when it's your time to go, it's your time to go. If your life
happens to make the ultimate sacrifice for this country, I think it's
the best way.'
Barber
was born in Columbus, Georgia, but has lived in multiple states due to
her father's military career before settling in Washington, D.C.
Barber's father served in the Special Forces for 24 years and that's how
he met her mother, who was also in the military.
'My siblings and I knew when we graduated from high school that we wanted to join,' she added.
Barer said she joined at 17, while her brother and sister enlisted at 18 right straight out of high school.
Deshauna Barber reacts as she is crowned Miss USA by Miss USA 2015 Olivia Jordan (right) during the 2016 Miss USA pageant
Deshauna Barber (left) holds hands with first runner-up Chelsea Hardin of Hawaii after being announced as Miss USA 2016
Barber poses with other contestants
after being crowned Miss USA 2016 during the 2016 Miss USA pageant at
the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas
'I
ended up going through the ROTC program at university and commissioned
to be officer in the United States Army in 2011. It's been the greatest
decision I've ever made,' she said.
She graduated
Virginia State University with a degree in business management and
joined the army as a quartermaster officer in 2011. She now works as an
IT Analyst for the U.S. Department of Commerce and is also an army
logistics commander.
Barber's
passion is to serve the men and women in the U.S. military,
specifically focusing her platform on PTSD treatment for soldiers
returning from deployments overseas and suicide prevention in the armed
forces, according to her bio on the Miss Universe website.
Ahead
of the show on Sunday night, Barber took to Instagram to share a
picture of herself backstage, captioned: 'No matter happens in 2.5
hours, I am thankful to have represented the District Of Columbia and
Military Service Women around the world on the Miss USA stage.
She
added: 'The stereotype for Women In The Military is OFFICIALLY BROKEN.
The stereotype for Pageant Women is OFFICIALLY BROKEN *Drops Mic*'
Barber graduated Virginia State
University with a degree in business management and joined the army as a
quartermaster officer in 2011
Barber was born in Columbus, Georgia,
but has lived in multiple states due to her father's military career
before settling in Washington, D.C.
Deshauna Barber, pictured with her father, brother and sister, who all joined the military. Barber joined when she was 17
Barber's father (pictured) served in
the Special Forces for 24 years and that's how he met her mother, who
was also in the military
Coming
in second was Miss Hawaii Chelsea Hardin, who punted at the contest
when asked who she would vote for among the likely presidential
candidates, Democrat Hillary Clinton or former pageant owner Donald
Trump, a Republican.
The
24-year-old college student from Honolulu acknowledged that there was
no way to correctly answer the question during the beauty pageant. It
was framed with Clinton's likely status of being the first woman
nominated by a major political party for the White House.
Hardin
responded that gender doesn't matter when deciding the next commander
in chief, simply saying the new president should push for what's right
for the country.
The
final three was rounded out by Miss Georgia, Emanii Jovan Davis, who
gave an answer about educating youth when asked about recent policy
measures that some say makes it harder to vote.
Earlier
in the contest, Miss California moved the Miss USA contest by admitting
her battle with anorexia but failed to make the top three leaving
Georgia, Hawaii and D.C. battling for the crown.
Nadia
Grace Mejia, 20, the daughter of a 1990s one-hit-wonder singer called
'Rico Suave', had made it to the final five, but stumbled and paused
repeatedly when answering her question on economic inequality.
The three-hour event was broadcast on Fox network. Last year, the show had aired on cable's Reelz network.
It
came after a series of controversies last year with the beauty pageant
organization, including a breakup with former owner Trump and a mistaken
crowning of Miss Universe by Steve Harvey.
Miss Hawaii
USA Chelsea Hardin (pictured left and right) punted at the contest
when asked who she would vote for among the likely presidential
candidates
Miss Georgia USA Emanii Davis competes in the swimsuit competition during the 2016 Miss USA pageant
The
incident was referenced at the moment of truth - with Julianne Hough
jokingly refusing to be the one to make the announcement and Jenkins
saying a little prayer before revealing the winner.
At
the start of Sunday's show, Steve Harvey made a cameo in a video to
poke fun of the Miss Universe crowning that he botched in December.
In
the clip, Harvey is seen helping host Jenkins prepare for the show.
After handing Jenkins a cue card, he tells him to practice reading the
winner's name.
'And the winner is... Miss Colombia?' Jenkins says.
'What'd I just tell you?' Harvey admonishes him. 'I said, 'Don't say Miss Colombia.
'They handed me a card. I said, 'When they hand you the card, don't say Miss Colombia.' Listen to me, Terrence. Don't say it.'
After
the show, Harvey congratulated Barber on Twitter and joked: 'Soooooooo -
I was a few months early with my announcement and forgot 'District
of'.'
Miss California Nadia Grace Mejia (pictured above) was also named the fan favorite
The 20-year-old talked about suffering from anorexia and wanting to promote body confidence
Miss District of Columbia USA Deshauna Barber competes in the evening gown competition
Fifty-two
contestants took part in the 2016 Miss USA competition at the T-Mobile
Arena off the Las Vegas Strip. In addition to contestants representing
each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, the pageant also
named a 'Miss 52 USA.'
Alexandra
Miller, a 26-year-old from Oklahoma City, got the most fan votes among a
group of finalists chosen by the organization.
The winner of Sunday's pageant will compete in the Miss Universe contest.
A
year ago the brash billionaire and now presumed Republican candidate
for president set off an ugly break up with The Miss Universe
Organization, then co-owned by Trump and NBCUniversal.
Trump offended Hispanics last June when he made anti-immigrant remarks in announcing his bid for the White House.
NBC,
which had aired the pageant since 2003, quickly cut business ties with
Trump and refused to carry the 2015 show it had already scheduled.
Spanish-language
network Univision also pulled out of the broadcast for what would have
been the first of five years airing the pageants.
Trump then sued both Univision and NBC.
Steve Harvey made a cameo in a video
at the start of the Miss USA pageant on Sunday night to poke fun at his
infamous Miss Universe gaffe in December
In the clip, Harvey advises host Terrence J Jenkins to avoid making the same mistake as he did
He
settled with NBC in September. Trump's $500 million lawsuit against
Univision claimed his First Amendment rights were violated, as well as
claiming a breach of contract. That dispute was eventually settled, too.
The talent management company WME/IMG then acquired The Miss Universe Organization.
During
the Miss Universe pageant in December, host Steve Harvey mistakenly
named the Colombia's Ariadna Gutierrez Arevalo the winner before
correcting himself on the stage. Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach of the Philippines
was then given the crown.
Officials
later said it was due to human error. The talk show host said he had
re-read the card and noticed it said 'first runner-up' next to the
Colombia contestant's name before clarifying with producers his mistake.
That Miss Universe contest was also held in Vegas, at the Planet Hollywood hotel-casino.
Nadia Mejia
admitted that the pressures of working as a model in LA led to her
becoming anorexic after her bookers body shamed her
Hosts Terrence Jenkins and Julianne Hough speak onstage during the 2016 Miss USA pageant at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas
A new Miss USA will be
crowned Sunday night after a series of controversies last year. Above
from left, Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach, Miss USA 2015 Olivia Jordan and
Miss Teen USA 2015 Katherine Haik attend the 2016 Miss USA pageant in
Las Vegas
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário