First Venezuelan American Miss Utah wins Miss USA pageant

Miss USA was crowned Saturday as the first Venezuelan American to take the title.

Noelia Voigt, 23, was also the second Miss Utah USA in history to win the national title, with the last Utahn winning in 1960. Voigt is a first-generation American and is bilingual in English and Spanish.

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“The past seven years of my pageant journey have all led me to this moment,” Voigt posted on her Instagram account ahead of her interview during the pageant. Notably, the interview now makes up 50% of the contestant’s scores, while in the past, it used to be scored equally with the swimsuit and evening gown portion.

Voigt’s platform came from her experience as a One Love Workshop facilitator, which is a program that educates student-age young people on domestic violence. She has presented to thousands on the dangers of teenage dating violence.

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This was also the first time a woman of Venezuelan descent held the title of Miss Utah USA. Utah has over half a million Hispanic and Latino residents, with roughly 60% of that population coming from Mexico, leaving a small plurality of over 10,000 from Venezuela. Utah has also hosted some of the thousands of Venezuelan refugees fleeing the country.

Venezuela is the second-winningest country when it comes to the Miss Universe pageant, which follows the Miss USA competition. The country has won seven times in the pageant’s history, while the U.S., which has the most wins, reports nine wins.