Miss District of Columbia 2016, Deshauna Barber, was crowned Miss USA Sunday, beating out the competition and slaying her way to the top with her impressive credentials as an army officer and a federal government I.T. specialist.
This year’s show was an interesting one, and not just because it finally broke its relationship with Donald Trump. It featured a number of intelligent, accomplished women, who are of course beautiful and talented as well.
Breaking usual stereotypes of the pageant, the top five was a diverse makeup, featuring two Black women (Barber and Miss Georgia, Emanii Davis), one Latina (Miss California Nadia Mejia, Rico Suave’s daughter), one Caucasian (Miss Alabama, Peyton Brown) and one Hawaiian (Miss Hawaii, Chelsea Keolani Hardin).
But Barber, 26, took home the top scores to be crowned queen Sunday night, beating out top contestants. Miss Hawaii took home first runner-up, followed by Miss Georgia, making the top three all women of color.
https://twitter.com/MissUSA/status/739638269936177152/photo/1
Following in her father’s footsteps, Barber is an officer in the U.S. Army, and works as an I.T. Analyst for the U.S. Department of Commerce. She graduated from Virginia State University and has dedicated her platform to raising awareness for PTSD.
Deshauna has a passion to serve the men and women in the U.S. military, specifically focusing her platform on PTSD treatment for soldiers returning from deployments and suicide prevention in the Armed Forces.
Check out more photos of Barber, the new Miss USA, below.
Congratulations, Deshauna Barber!
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
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#BlackGirlMagic: Deshauna Barber, Army Officer & Miss DC, Wins 2016 Miss USA Crown was originally published on hellobeautiful.com
