Miss California 2023 is Sabrina Lewis of Berkeley
Sabrina Lewis, representing Berkeley, edged out 42 other competitors to win Miss California 2023 on Saturday, July 1 at the Visalia Convention Center in Downtown Visalia, California.
The 26-year-old equestrian and an alumna of the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) succeeds last year's titleholder Catherine Liang, a financial analyst from Bay Area.
Asha Bhattacharya of Anaheim Hills was named first runner-up while Taylor Yamane of Riverside City, Mahika Valluri of Northern California, and Katie Tessier of Los Angeles County were the second, third, and fourth runners-up, respectively.
The title of Miss California's Teen 2023 went to San Deigo's Marlie Wright who will now proceed to the Miss America's Teen 2024 pageant.
Her runners-up were Arushi Somani of Canyon Hills, Siena Lester of Anaheim Hills, Delilah Sichmeller of Riverside City, and Ruth Alvarenga of Marin County.
No stranger to pageantry, the new Miss California previously held the title Miss California USA and went to compete in the Miss USA 2021 pageant in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Following Saturday's event, Sabrina took home a crown, sash, and a scholarship prize money worth $20,000. She will also represent California at Miss American 2024 on a date yet to be announced.
"Can’t believe that I'm the first African-American woman crowned Miss California in the past 25 years," Sabrina shared on social media after winning her title.
She also went on to congratulate her fellow competitors and said, "What we do is not easy, and I commend each and every one of you on all your accomplishments."
Photos: Lolita Vasquez / Image Society
