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Nina Davuluri

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Nina Davuluri
నీనా దావులూరి
Davuluri at the Miss America 2014 traditional toe dip.
Born (1989-04-20) April 20, 1989 (age 35)
Syracuse, New York
NationalityAmerican
CitizenshipUnited States
EducationB.S. Brain, Behavior & Cognitive Science
Alma materUniversity of Michigan
OccupationApplying to medical school
Known forFirst Indian American Miss America; First to perform a Bollywood dance at the Miss America pageant
TitleMiss Michigan's Outstanding Teen 2006
First runner up at Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2007
Miss Syracuse 2013
Miss New York 2013
Miss America 2014
Term2013-2014
PredecessorShannon Oliver (Miss New York)
Mallory Hagan (Miss America)
SuccessorAmanda Mason (Miss New York)
AwardsDean's List
Michigan Merit Award
National Honor Society Award

Nina Davuluri (born April 20, 1989) is Miss New York 2013, Miss America 2014, and the first Indian American to be chosen as Miss America. [1][2] She is also the first to perform a Bollywood dance on the Miss America stage. After she was crowned Miss America, there was a backlash of xenophobic and racist comments in social media.[3][4]

Davuluri is the second Asian American to be crowned Miss America after Filipino American Angela Perez Baraquio (Miss America 2001).[5][6] She is also the second Miss Syracuse after Miss New York 1983 Vanessa Williams (the first African American winner and Miss America 1984). Both she and Williams won when the pageant was held in Atlantic City and both faced a backlash over their respective wins.[7][8] In addition, Congresswoman Grace Meng compared Davuluri to the first Miss New York (1945) and the first Jewish American winner of the title, Bess Myerson (Miss America 1945) who also faced a backlash as a result of her win.[9][10] According to Miss America officials, the level of interest in Davuluri is "unprecedented" in the history of the pageant.[11]

Davuluri is currently applying to medical school and has not yet decided on her specialization.[12]

Early life and education

Davuluri was born on April 20, 1975 in vizag beach road, to Hindu Telugu parents.[13][14][15] Her mother, Sheila Ranjani, a computer specialist, and her father Davuluri Koteshwara Choudhary, a gynaecologist, came to the United States in 1981 from Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India.[16] Her elder sister Mina is a medical student at SUNY Medical University and a number of other members of her family are in the medical profession.[17][16]

When she was six weeks old, she was brought to live with her grandmother and aunt in Vijayawada. She stayed there until she was two and a half years old, at which time her parents brought her back to the United States.[18] She lived in Oklahoma for a period as a child until her family moved to St. Joseph, Michigan when she was 10. She graduated from St. Joseph High School in 2007, where she "played varsity tennis, participated in band, was a cheerleader and captain of the color guard." [19] In 2007, her family moved to Fayetteville, New York.[20] She graduated from the University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts in 2012 with a B.S. in Brain, Behavior & Cognitive Science. [19][21] While at the University of Michigan, she was also a member of Sigma Kappa.[21] She is the recipient of several awards including Dean's List, Michigan Merit Award, and National Honor Society Award.[7]

Davuluri grew up studying Indian classical dance forms Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam.[22][18] She was Miss Michigan's Outstanding Teen 2006, the first runner up at Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2007,[19] Miss Syracuse 2013, and Miss New York 2013.[23] After she was crowned Miss New York, Davuluri invited friends to her hotel room for a party. A fellow contestant in a neighboring hotel room claimed that she overheard Davuluri refer to Miss America 2013 Mallory Hagan as “fat as [bleep]" during the party. According to a Miss America official, "The situation was investigated fully back in July and there is no validity to the story whatsoever. Miss New York spoke to Mallory Hagan to let her know there was no validity and to apologize if she was offended in any way.”[24] Davuluri has also stated in interviews that she did not make these remarks and that she and "Mallory are good friends."[25] In addition, she has spoken publicly about losing 60 pounds (27 kg) gained while in college as well as her concerns over weight and body image.[26]She states: "I first got in shape for personal reasons, not for Miss America. I lost the weight two years previous to competition. Really for me it was about getting healthy. I struggled with an eating disorder and I just didn't want to live like that anymore. I really could not do that to myself anymore."[27]

2014 Miss America pageant

Davuluri was crowned Miss America 2014 on September 15, 2013, with the platform "celebrating diversity through cultural competency," one that she has been developing, she stated in an interview, "for the last three years."[28][22][5] For the talent portion, she performed a fusion of Bollywood dance with Indian classical dance. She prepared this routine with the help of choreographer Nakul Dev Mahajan and performed it to the song, "Dhoom Taana," from the Bollywood film, Om Shanti Om (starring her favorite Bollywood actor, Shah Rukh Khan).[29][22][30]Davuluri stated in an interview with Inside Edition that for her talent routine, she "actually started off singing." She eventually chose instead to do a Bollywood fusion dance because it was "so representative" of her, despite the fact that many people told her that she is "never going to win with a Bollywood talent so just go back to singing if you are serious about it." She also noted that it's "the first time Bollywood has ever been on the Miss America stage and I'm glad I did it."[31] After she won, Davuluri appeared on Live! with Kelly and Michael where she performed Bollywood dance moves with the hosts Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan.[32][33]

Shortly after she was crowned Miss America, there was a backlash of xenophobic and racist comments[3][4] related to the proximity of the event date to the nine-eleven anniversary and to anti-Indian sentiment in social media.[34][35][5] News agencies cited tweets that misidentified her as Muslim or Arab, associated her with terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda, and questioned why she was chosen over Miss Kansas Theresa Vail.[4][36][34] Davuluri has stated in interviews that she received a similar response on a smaller scale after winning the Miss New York title [28] and that "I have to rise above that, I always viewed myself as first and foremost American."[5] She also later noted that, "for every negative comment, there were a dozen positive messages [...] I am set to launch a campaign, which would focus on unity in diversity."[30][25] U.S. Representative for New York's 3rd congressional district, Steve Israel stated that he is "troubled by the remarks aimed at" Davuluri and that he joins "with the voices of the many Americans who have cried out against these hateful remarks, and I will continue to work in Congress to fight against hatred."[37] In addition, actor and activist George Takei (Star Trek's Sulu) also defended her in a post on Facebook.[38][39] Takei later appeared a joint ABC interview with Davuluri, in which she revealed that she is a Trekkie. Takei told her, "In Star Trek we have this creed: 'Infinite diversity in infinite combinations'. That's what Starfleet was all about so you're a part of that." Davuluri ended the interview by stating, "I have to say 'Live Long and Prosper'" at which point Takei offered her the Vulcan salute, which she returned.[40]

Miss America role

Davuluri's platform for her year as Miss America is "Celebrating Diversity Through Cultural Competency." As part of this campaign, she has launched "a new social media campaign to encourage constructive and civil dialogue on diversity issues." Davuluri has asked people to "forward representative thoughts and stories about their experiences on how we as a nation can advance cultural awareness." [41][25] She will also focus on the topic of bullying and how "young people can go from being bullying bystanders to allies in the fight to stop bullying." [42]

Additional reading

References

  1. ^ Cavaliere, Victoria (September 16, 2013). "Miss New York is first Indian-American to win Miss America". Reuters. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  2. ^ Rao, Mallika (September 16, 2013). "Why Miss America, Nina Davuluri, Would Never Win Pageants In South Asia'". The Huffington Post. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Is Bollywood the New Zumba?". ELLE. September 26, 2013. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
  4. ^ a b c ALEXANDER ABAD-SANTOS (September 16, 2013). "The First Indian-American Miss America Has Racists Very, Very Confused". The Atlantic. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  5. ^ a b c d Parry, Wayne (September 17, 2013). "New Miss America Nina Davuluri responds to outrage over her win". ABC. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  6. ^ Alumit, Noel (September 19, 2013). "The First Asian American Miss America Responds to the Hate". Huffington Post. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
  7. ^ a b Marlow Stern (September 21, 2013). "Vanessa Williams, the First Black Miss America, On Nina Davuluri and Racism". The Daily Beast. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  8. ^ Elizabeth Doran (September 25, 2013). "Miss America Nina Davuluri talks about racist tweets and loving Jay Z on 'Arsenio Hall'". The Post-Standard. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  9. ^ Lalit K Jha (September 17, 2013). "Nina Davuluri's win similar to Bess Myerson's: US lawmaker". Daily News and Analysis. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  10. ^ "ADL Deeply Troubled by Hateful Messages Labeling Newly Crowned Miss America 'A Foreigner'". ADL Press Release. September 16, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  11. ^ "Nina Davuluri generates highest media demand in Miss America history; may go to India". The Post-Standard. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
  12. ^ "Miss America 2014 Nina Davuluri 'Applying to Medical School'". ABC News. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  13. ^ Nina Davuluri Biography
  14. ^ "Miss America crown goes to an Indian American for first time". MSNBC. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  15. ^ Telugu-Indian Girl Nina Davuluri Become Miss USA 2014
  16. ^ a b "Miss America win brings joy to Vijaywada, her ancestral home town". Gulf News. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  17. ^ "Newly crowned Miss America Nina Davuluri sits down with The News and says she 'wasn't surprised' by hate-filled backlash to her win". New York Daily News. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
  18. ^ a b "Miss America has roots in Vijayawada". The Hindu. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  19. ^ a b c "Memories of Miss America: SJ graduate Nina Davuluri is first Indian American to win the pageant; former teacher cherishes her insightful 2007 essay". The Herald Palladium. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  20. ^ "Fayetteville's Miss America contestant, Nina Davuluri, hopes to make top 15". The Post-Standard. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  21. ^ a b "Alum wins Miss America competition". Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  22. ^ a b c "Mahajan Choreographs Another Winning Performance". India-West. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  23. ^ "NINA DAVULURI CROWNED MISS NEW YORK". Miss New York. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
  24. ^ "Beauty queen: Miss America 'fat as [bleep]'". Page Six Magazine. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
  25. ^ a b c AJ Calloway (September 17, 2013). "Miss America Nina Davuluri Opens Up About Racist Remarks". Extra (TV program). Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  26. ^ "A cliche-breaking Miss America candidate from Syracuse: A doctor-to-be who detests the word 'skinny'". The Post-Standard. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  27. ^ "I Worked Out With Miss America". ELLE. Retrieved October 3, 2013.
  28. ^ a b Keeler in the Morningi (October 2, 2013). "[AUDIO] Miss America on Keeler in the Morning". WIBX950 AM. Retrieved October 02, 2013. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  29. ^ Gandhi, Lakshmi (September 20, 2013). "Miss America's Choreographer Nakul Dev Mahajan Tells Us How That 'Bollywood Fusion' Dance Came to Be". The Aerogram. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  30. ^ a b "Its time to rise above colours: Miss America 2014, Nina Davuluri". Times of India. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  31. ^ Megan Alexander (September 17, 2013). "Miss America Nina Davuluri Celebrates Diversity". Inside Edition. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
  32. ^ Sarah Moses (September 17, 2013). "Miss America Nina Davuluri on previous winner Vanessa Williams: 'Stars aligned for both of us'". The Post-Standard. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  33. ^ "Miss America Nina Davuluri Wows On 'Live With Kelly And Michael'". Hollywood Life. September 18, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  34. ^ a b Ryan Broderick (September 16, 2013). "A Lot Of People Are Very Upset That An Indian-American Woman Won The Miss America Pageant". BuzzFeed. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
  35. ^ Maura Judkis (September 22, 2013). "Miss America fights post-pageant racism with a beauty queen's poise". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  36. ^ Stuart, Tessa (September 16, 2013). "Fox Host Todd Starnes Outraged That Indian-American Nina Davuluri Won Miss America". The Village Voice. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  37. ^ Israel, Steve (September 30, 2013). "Do not attack Miss America". TimesLedger Newspapers. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  38. ^ "George Takei's Facebook Page". Facebook. September 16, 2013. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
  39. ^ "George Takei Defends Miss America Nina Davuluri After Racist Tweets". The Inquisitr. September 16, 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
  40. ^ "After Defending Miss America From Racial Comments, George Takei Meets Nina Davuluri For First Time". ABC. September 18, 2013. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
  41. ^ "Miss America Organization Launches Social Media Campaign To Promote The Celebration of Diversity Through Cultural Competency". Miss America Press Release. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
  42. ^ "2014 Miss America Nina Davuluri Speaks Out Against Bullying at the NY Anti-Bullying Symposium". October 2, 2013. Retrieved October 2, 2013.

External links

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Miss America
2014 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
Shannon Oliver
 Miss New York
2013 		Succeeded by
Amanda Mason
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