Miss Teen USA 2023 is UmaSofia Srivastava of New Jersey


UmaSofia Srivastava was crowned Miss Teen USA 2023 in a glittering national competition held on Thursday, September 28 at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno, Nevada.

The 16-year-old representing New Jersey beat 50 other competitors to become the 41st Miss Teen USA. She succeeds last year's winner Faron Medhi of Nebraska.

Stephanie Skinner of New York was named first runner-up while Maggie Ross of Pennsylvania, Haylee Puckett of Texas, and Carolina Sola of Ohio were the second, third, and fourth runner-up, respectively.

The new Miss Teen USA is of Mexican-Indian descent and is a high school student from Morris Plains, New Jersey. She runs her own blog "That's Fan Behavior" where she covers topics from feminism, her experiences as a woman of color, interviews with changemakers, and her passions.

UmaSofia is also the author of "The White Jaguar" book. She shared: "My own journey of self-acceptance is what inspired me to write The White Jaguar, and I hope that it can be a beacon of light for people of all ages to encourage them to embrace what makes them unique."

Aside from winning the national title, she also bagged the Best in Costume award last night for her costume inspired by New Jersey's state bug, the honeybee.

Photos: Miss Teen USA, UmaSofia Srivastava / Instagram

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