Miss Nevada Nia Sanchez was crowned Miss USA 2014, held at the Baton Rouge Civic Center in Louisiana, Sunday.
The 24-year-old from Las Vegas beat 50 other contestants from all the states and the District of Columbia for the title of 63rd Miss USA. First runner-up was Miss North Dakota Audra Mari. Erin Brady, the 2013 winner, gave up her crown to Sanchez.
Miss Nevada talked about the importance of women being able to defend themselves when asked a question about the high rate of sexual assaults on college campuses. Judge Rumer Willis, the 25-year-old daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, said 19 percent of U.S. undergraduate women are victims of sexual assault and asked Sanchez why she thinks this is being swept under the rug and what should be done about it. Sanchez said bringing awareness to the issue was important, as well as women taking it upon themselves to learn how to defend themselves.
Sanchez was born in Sacramento, California, Feb. 16, 1990. When she was seven years old, she and her family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. Her parents divorced when she was six years old and during that transition she briefly lived in Shade Tree, a Las Vegas women's shelter. She is currently dating American actor Daniel Paul Booko, best known for his role in the TV series "O.C." She is a fourth degree black belt in taekwondo.
After winning the Miss USA 2014 title, she told reporters that she plans to spread her knowledge of martial arts to the masses so that women are able to defend themselves from attacks or rape attempts, according to Associated Press.
Celebrities who attended the show included former NBA star Karl Malone; actors Ian Ziering, Melissa Peterman, pageant show host Jeannie Mai and Donald Trump, who owns the Miss Universe Organization, which includes the Miss USA pageant.
Sanchez is the first woman from the state of Nevada ever to be crowned Miss USA, she will represent USA in Miss Universe 2014.
