Meet the 51 women competing to be the next Miss USA

K Johnson, 41, will make history as the oldest woman to ever make it to the Miss USA stage. This is the first year that all women aged 18 and over are eligible to compete at the pageant.

Johnson competed at the Miss California pageant four times before she aged out under the previous age limit of 28. She told BI she couldn’t believe the news when she heard about the rule change.

“It’s an opportunity for me to get involved in an organization that I want to spend the rest of my life with,” she said. “Not to mention getting to inspire women to not give up on their dreams.”

Johnson is a project manager and has previously modeled at Los Angeles and New York Fashion Week. According to her Miss USA bio, she is also an international triathlete and springboard diver.

Samantha Ramos, 24, studied business at California State University, Fullerton, and is now a marketing director for her family-owned restaurant group.

Ramos was discovered by Atlantic Records through her TikTok videos, according to her Miss USA bio. She was also a finalist on NBC’s “American Song Contest.” Ramos is an ambassador for the nonprofit Girls Inc. and also volunteers at low-income schools.

Shavana Clarke, 29, has a BFA in acting from the University of Connecticut and works as a model and entrepreneur. She has her own crochet-wear line called Sour Candy Studio, according to her Miss USA bio.

Clarke is making history this year as the first openly lesbian Miss USA state titleholder. She is also the first openly queer woman to win the Miss Connecticut title.

Kleo Torres, 26, attended Alabama State University on a track-and-field scholarship and received a degree in criminal justice. She also has a master’s in public administration.

Torres founded the nonprofit Youth of Incarcerated Parents United to offer a “safe space for those affected by parental incarceration,” according to her Miss USA bio. She also mentors for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and is a micro influencer who has collaborated with brands such as YSL Beauty.

Emmaline Farmer, 24, is a registered nurse and family nurse practitioner student at Emory University.

Farmer is also a women’s health advocate and helped lobby for the passing of Georgia House Bill 874, which supports cardiac emergency response plans in the state. According to her Miss USA bio, Farmer is working to “ensure that medical advancements and treatments cater to women’s unique health needs.”

Kaitlyn Widmyer, 28, graduated with degrees in French, finance, and accounting from Wofford College, where she was a Division I volleyball player.

Widmeyer works as a fashion stylist and director of community outreach for her family’s luxury boutique, according to her Miss USA bio. She is also an advocate for the Made with Kindness Foundation, a nonprofit that was founded in honor of her friends who were killed in the 2022 University of Idaho massacre.

Stephanie Sullivan, 33, is the first mother to compete in Miss USA. Sullivan holds a law degree from Purdue University and owns her own beauty and wellness studio. She also works as a model and makeup artist.

After winning the Miss Indiana crown, Sullivan told WNDU that her victory was “for all women.”

“It is something that is pivotal, and it’s now the time where we can show the world that you don’t have to choose between being a mom or a wife or a business owner,” she added. “You can do all of these things, and you can do them beautifully together, and they can really co-exist and be successful.”

Bella Whitlock, 19, is a presidential scholar at the University of Miami, where she’s studying finance and business law. She hopes to attend law school after she graduates.

Whitlock is a member of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority and an advocate for breast cancer awareness, according to her Miss USA bio. She is also using her platform to spread fire safety awareness following a burn accident when she was 16.

Sydney Taylor, 23, was previously Miss Louisiana Teen 2020 and placed fourth runner-up at Miss Teen USA 2020.

According to her Miss USA bio, Taylor has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Louisiana State University. She plans to earn her Juris Doctor in the fall of 2025 and become a tax attorney.

The pageant queen is also a state champion softball player and founded Play With A Purpose, an organization that donates equipment to young athletes.

Bailey Anne Kennedy, 31, made history as the first transgender woman and Asian American woman to win the Miss Maryland title.

“For the longest time, it wasn’t possible for someone like me to compete — let alone compete and win,” she told People after winning the crown. “It’s not just a big deal for me. It’s a big deal for many communities that I represent.”

Kennedy, who is married to a member of the US Marine Corps, volunteers for the United Service Organizations. She was also a rookie trainee for the Washington Commanders’ NFL cheerleading team.

Alma Cooper, 22, graduated in the top 5% of her class from West Point Military Academy and is a Knight-Hennessy Scholar at Stanford University, where she’s pursuing a master’s in data science.

Cooper is a second lieutenant and military intelligence officer in the US Army. According to her Miss USA bio, she is using her platform to address food insecurity and hopes to “make healthy foods available to all people.”

Kaylee Brooke McCollum, 23, was previously Miss Mississippi Teen USA 2019 and third runner-up at Miss Teen USA 2019.

The pageant queen is a registered nurse, and she’s pursuing a master’s in nursing. She plans to open her own family medicine clinic. McCollum founded #YouMatter as a platform to advocate for mental-health issues after she lost a friend to suicide.

Shelby Dangerfield, 30, graduated from Coastal Carolina University with a degree in musical theater and a certificate from the Jackson Scholar Program for Ethics and Morals, as she shared on her website.

Today, Dangerfield works as a commercial risk advisor and advocates for veterans through her program Operation Honors Warriors, according to her Miss USA bio.

Najah Ali, 23, graduated summa cum laude from the University of Nevada, where she studied broadcast journalism. She also studied in Italy for six months after receiving the Gilman Scholarship.

Ali is also one of seven in her family, according to her Miss USA bio.

Jabili Kandula, 24, has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and media studies from Rutgers University-NB, but her true passion is aviation.

According to her Miss USA bio, Kandula has her private pilot’s license, writes for Aviation for Women magazine, and is pursuing a master’s degree at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. She is studying aeronautics with a focus on space operations.

Kandula is also working toward her commercial pilot’s license.

Marizza Delgado, 25, has a master’s degree from Georgia Tech. According to her Miss USA bio, she is a data scientist for Rent the Runway, is a member of the advisory council for Girls Who Code, and works as a model.

Delgado has appeared in Vogue Philippines and walked in New York Fashion Week shows.

After growing up on a cattle ranch, Codi Miller, 31, became a successful cowgirl with a passion for sharing what life is like in the badlands of North Dakota, as she shared on her Instagram.

According to her Miss USA bio, Miller co-owns and designs pieces for a furniture upholstery business and volunteers with the Make-A-Wish organization. She was also crowned Miss Teen North Dakota in 2009.

Danika Christopherson, 22, works as the operations director for Viridian Coffee, leading a team of over 160 people, according to her Miss USA bio.

She is also a self-taught sewer, and she put her skills to use for the pageant by creating all of her outfits for Miss USA.

After Noni Diarra, 23, got her bachelor’s degree from West Chester University in cell and molecular biology, she became a research technician at a cancer lab, according to her Miss USA bio.

Diarra also loves to dance and teaches children to dance when she isn’t working in the lab.

Gracen Grainger, 22, has been modeling since she was 8 years old. Today, she is a law student and a working model.

She also grew up on a farm, which she credits for her work ethic, according to her Miss USA bio.

Christell Foote, 24, works as a sales and marketing executive, and she is passionate about helping brands find their niche, according to her Miss USA bio.

She is also a model and has appeared on the cover of Vogue Athens.

According to her Miss USA bio, 21-year-old Alyssa Chandler works in sales but also has a passion for advocacy. She spent 18 months in Lima, Peru, teaching English and supporting communities.

A Japanese American, Chandler speaks fluent Spanish, has played the piano for over 17 years, and runs triathlons.

Himanvi Panidepu, 23, graduated from Virginia Tech and works in cybersecurity.

She is passionate about advocating for women in STEM careers, leading her company’s Women in Tech group and creating the initiative STEMpowered Leaders.

Caylie Simmons, 24, is a dental hygenist who founded Miles for Smiles, which provides free oral health kits to members of her community, according to her Miss USA bio.

Simmons loves adventure, from hiking to white-water rafting, and she cofounded the Corey Simmons Memorial Scholarship.

Mackenzie Rush, 19, is studying nursing at South Dakota State University.

According to her Miss USA bio, she is also a member of her university’s equestrian team, is ranked eighth in the US for her equestrian skills, and aspires to compete in the Olympics someday.

Rush also hopes to use her platform to advocate for those with type 1 diabetes, which she has.