新晋美国小姐 妮雅·桑切斯 Nia Sanchez, a 24-year-old fourth degree black belt in tae kwon do from Nevada, was crowned Miss USA on Sunday during the 63rd telecast of the annual beauty pageant. Sanchez, who wore an intricate red gown during the latter part of the three-hour broadcast contest, addressed the issue of sexual assault on college campuses during a question-and-answer session faced by all six finalists. Sanchez said she felt some colleges, fearing a bad reputation, might sweep the problem under the rug, and that “more awareness (of the issue) is very important so that women can learn to protect themselves.” She added that as a fourth degree black belt, she learned “you need to be confident and be able to defend yourself ... that’s something we need to start to implement for a lot of women.” Sanchez was born in Sacramento, California. When she was 7 years old, she and her family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. She worked at Hong Kong Disneyland in 2012 for seven months, acting as a princess. The pageant, co-hosted by Giuliana Rancic of “E! News” and MSNBC’s morning news show “Way Too Early” host Thomas Roberts, was broadcast live on NBC from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Erin Brady, Miss USA 2013, crowned her successor, who will go on to compete at the international Miss Universe competition.(SD-Agencies) |