Cara Mund was named Miss America 2018 at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Sunday. The 23-year-old contestant stood out from 50 other ladies who competed for this year's contest, making her the first woman from North Dakota ever to take home the crown.
Aspiring governor wins Miss America 2018 crown
In one of her question-and-answer sessions, Cara Mund said it was "bad decision" for Donald Trump to pull the United States out of the Paris climate agreement. "There is evidence that climate change is existing and we need to be at the table," she explained.
The Miss America 2018 winner also impressed the audience with her jazz dancing to Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel." Hence, Cara Mund received the highest number of votes from the viewers at the end of the competition that led to her victory.
Aside from her interest in joining beauty pageants, the crowned queen has previously expressed her desire to enter the world of politics in hopes to be the first woman elected as governor of North Dakota. The Brown University graduate emphasized the importance of having women in the government.
"It's important to have a woman's perspective," she told Associated Press. "In health care and on reproductive rights, it's predominantly men making those decisions."
Who is Cara Mund?
Apparently, the titleholder is a relative of Victoria Woodhull who was the first woman to run for the U.S.
presidency in 1872. According to E! News, Cara Mund had her internship in the U.S. Senate and has plans of entering law school.
She has been an affiliate of Make-A-Wish foundation for the last ten years which earned her recognition from then-president Barack Obama in 2011. Aside from that, the titleholder is also a trained dancer.
In fact, she is a national dance champion and was given the opportunity to train under popular dance company Rockettes which lasted for four summers. Cara Mund started joining beauty pageants as a child. Some of the titles under her belt include Little Miss North Dakota, Miss Pre-Teen North Dakota, and Miss Junior Teen North Dakota.
In 2010, she won the title for Miss North Dakota's Outstanding Teen before she competed in Miss America's Outstanding Teen the following year. Cara Mund also competed in Miss North Dakota and Miss Northern Lights before she represented her state in Miss America 2018. On top of the crown, the Bismarck native will also receive $50,000 scholarship for winning the title.
