Here's Who Came In As Runner-Up For The Miss America 2018 Crown
The Miss America 2018 pageant took place on Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017, and it was truly a sight to see. We saw some amazing dresses, fun talents, and interesting answers to questions from the Miss America organization and ABC. At the end of it all, the winner was crowned as Miss North Dakota Cara Mund, and the Miss America 2018 runner-up was right behind her -- Miss Missouri Jennifer Davis.
Davis and Miss America 2018, Cara Mund (Miss North Dakota), made it to the end of the Miss America 2018 pageant, along with second runner-up Miss New Jersey Kaitlyn Schoeffel, third runner-up Miss District of Columbia Briana Kinsey, and fourth runner-up Miss Texas Margana Wood.
With her second place win, Jennifer Davis will get a $25,000 scholarship. The winner of Miss America 2018, Miss North Dakota Cara Mund, gets a $50,000 scholarship and a six-figure salary during her reign. Schoeffel will get a $20,000 scholarship, Kinsey will get a $15,000 scholarship and Wood will get a $10,000 scholarship.
Miss America 2018 Cara Mund takes over for Miss America 2017, Savvy Shields. The 22-year-old from Arkansas spent her reigning year on the road, representing Miss America. Shields says,
People forget and people don't really know that [Miss America] is the largest scholarship organization in the world. I am still walking away with over $90K in scholarship that I haven't even touched. I can graduate college debt-free and go for more education, not even having to worry about it. I'm not just speaking for myself, I'm speaking for every single contestant, national, state, and local title-holder that is a part of this organization.
So, what do we know about the Miss America 2018 runner-up, Jennifer Davis? Well, she's a 23-year-old graduate of Saint Louis University, where she got a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication. During the talent portion of the competition, she did a colorful Bollywood dance, which she first started doing as exercise. She said,
I began it simply for the exercise and fell in love with the culture.
She expanded on her love for Bollywood in an Instagram post. She wrote,
'Why do you do Bollywood, are you even of the culture?" I get this question all of the time, and my response is, because I LOVE it. The beauty of dance is that no matter where you come from, we can have a common denominator, and that is a love of dance. Besides my love of the culture, I believe that it is important to practice what you preach. Diversity Matters is much more than a platform for me, it is my life. Not only do I come from a diverse background, I have known the joy of embracing another culture fully. With all of that being said, I want to thank Nakul for teaching me, and loving me. It was a joy to bring #Bollywood back to the #missamerica stage as #missmissouri. I encourage you all to go out and embrace a culture different from your own, because your life will be forever enriched.
Davis has such a diverse background. As we know from her question portion of the pageant, she also authored a children's book called Diversity Matters. Her platform echoed this same idea, which was "United We Stand, Divided We Fall — Diversity Matters."
Though she may not have come out with a win, Davis was honored to be a part of the Miss America 2018 competition. She gushed on Instagram about the pageant, saying,
My goal walking into #MissAmericawas to leave it all on the table and have no regrets. I can stand here today and confidently tell you, that I have no regrets at all. I still cannot believe this life is mine, but I am forever grateful for it. I hope I have made you all proud in Missouri, because you have all been on my mind every step I have taken here. I love you all, and will continue to strive for greatness. Blessed and honored #MissMissouri.
We love you, Miss Missouri!
