This past Sunday night (June 8, 2014), Miss USA 2013 Erin Brady passed on her crown to Nia Sanchez, formerly Miss Nevada, to be crowned the new Miss USA 2014! While all of the contestants were incredible, the Las Vegas 24-year-old wowed the judges and audience through all 3 rounds of the competition: Swimsuit, Evening Gown, and Interview. If you missed the event, you can watch Nia getting crowned here:
http://youtu.be/7A6THtyHqOo
As Miss USA 2014, she is now the 63rd Miss USA, and there is so much to know about this amazing girl. So, we loved that Parade Magazine simplified it for us with their "5 Things to Know about Miss USA 2014 Nia Sanchez." Check it out below!
5 Things to Know about Miss USA 2014, Nia Sanchez, from Parade Magazine:
1. She has a black belt in Tae Kwan Do
Nia is one badass girl! The Nevada native is a fourth-degree black belt in Tae Kwan Do. Nia To E!, "I started training when I was 8, and I started teaching when I was 12, and I was a certified instructor when I was 15. It's a good workout. It's a full body workout. I never get more tired working out than when I'm at the studio." And, she sure looks good doing it!
In the final round of the competition, Nia even related it back to learning Tae Kwan Do. When asked about the issue of sexual assault on campus, she explained the importance of self defense for women. She said, "More awareness [of the issue] is very important so that women can learn to protect themselves...I learned from a young age that you need to be confident and able to defend yourself, and I think that's something that we should really start to implement for a lot of women." We couldn't agree more!
2. She's a Disney Princess!
Aside from wearing the Miss Nevada and now the Miss USA crowns, Nia has worked as a Disney Princess at Hong Kong Disney. Parade said that while there, she spent time dressing up as Cinderella, Princess Aurora, Belle, and Snow White. Check her out as Belle from Beauty and the Beast below!
3. She loves to travel
Nia began as an international traveler when she finished high school and moved to Europe to be a nanny. Since then, she has traveled extensively throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Asia as Miss Nevada. You can follow her on Instagram to see all of the amazing places she's been!
4. She is half Mexican
According to her bio on the Miss USA website, Nia is half Mexican and loves to travel to Mexico on mission trips.
5. She had a tough upbringing
When she was 6 years old, Nia and her mother lived in a women's shelter. The experience has taught her the importance of giving back, and she how works in a shelter. She said, "I can really relate to the women on a personal level because I've been there and I've been through those experiences."
We can't wait to see what our new Miss USA does in her year-long reign! And, we definitely cannot wait for her to compete in Miss Universe 2014 later this year!
Source: Parade.com