Morgan Romano

Morgan Renee Romano (born July 19, 1998)[2] is an American model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss USA 2022. Previously crowned Miss North Carolina USA 2022, Romano placed as the first runner-up at Miss USA, and took over the title after its original winner R'Bonney Gabriel was crowned Miss Universe 2022. Romano is the fourth woman from North Carolina to be crowned Miss USA.

Morgan Romano
Born
Morgan Renee Romano[1]

(1998-07-19) July 19, 1998
Johnstown, New York, U.S.
EducationUniversity of South Carolina (BS)
Beauty pageant titleholder
TitleMiss North Carolina USA 2022
Miss USA 2022
Hair colorBrown
Eye colorBlue
Major
competition(s)		Miss USA 2022
(1st Runner-Up)[lower-alpha 1]

Early life and education

Morgan Renee Romano was born on July 19, 1998 in Johnstown, New York.[3] After completing high school, Romano moved to Columbia, South Carolina to enroll in the University of South Carolina, graduating with a degree in chemical engineering in 2020.[3] Romano had decided to relocate to the Southern United States due to her dislike for the harsh winter weather in Upstate New York.[3] Following her graduation, Romano relocated to Concord, North Carolina, where she began working as an application engineer for industrial equipment supplier RE Mason.[3]

Pageantry

Romano first began competing in pageantry as a teenager in New York, placing as a runner-up at Miss New York's Outstanding Teen when she was in high school, at the encouragement of her mother.[4][3] After relocating to South Carolina in 2016, Romano decided to return to pageantry, due to her desire to make more female friends as a female student in a male-dominated field.[3] She later won the title of Miss Midlands, and competed at Miss South Carolina three times and Miss South Carolina USA one time, without winning the title.[4][3]

Romano began competing in North Carolina pageantry after relocating there in 2020, placing as the second runner-up at Miss North Carolina USA 2021.[3]

Miss USA 2022

After placing as the second runner-up at Miss North Carolina USA 2021, Romano opted to return to the competition the following year. The final was held on January 29, 2022, where Romano once again advanced to the top five, ultimately winning the title.[5][6] As Miss North Carolina USA, Romano received the right to represent North Carolina at Miss USA 2022. Romano later crowned Jordyn McKey as her successor at Miss North Carolina USA 2023 on February 25, 2023.[7]

Miss USA was held on October 3, 2022 in Reno, Nevada.[8] During the competition, Romano advanced into the top sixteen, top twelve, top five, and ultimately placed as the first runner-up, behind winner R'Bonney Gabriel of Texas. During the competition, Romano adopted a platform promoting women in STEM fields.[3][9] The pageant was ultimately marred in controversy, with allegations that Gabriel had received preferential treatment from pageant organizers throughout the duration of the competition.[10][11]

Gabriel went on to be crowned Miss Universe 2022 in January 2023.[12] Due to pageant protocol, she was unable to continue her reign as Miss USA after assuming her duties as Miss Universe, and her Miss USA title was passed down to Romano.[3]

Notes
  1. Romano was originally first runner-up, but became Miss USA after the original titleholder, R'Bonney Gabriel, won Miss Universe. Due to pageant protocol, Miss USA must resign her title in the event she wins Miss Universe.

References
  1. https://voterrecords.com/voter/73831937/morgan-romano
  2. "I don't know how anything can beat year 23… the best year of my life filled with growth, change, and gratitude. Here we go 24". Morgan Romano. July 19, 2022.
  3. Janes, Théoden (February 16, 2023). "Why did this Charlotte engineer leave her job? Because — surprise! — she's now Miss USA". The Charlotte Observer.
  4. "Engineering alumna uses beauty pageants, philanthropy to inspire STEM interest in young girls". University of South Carolina. January 26, 2023.
  5. "Miss North Carolina USA". Miss North Carolina USA. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  6. "Miss North Carolina discusses tragic death of Cheslie Kryst". FOX 46. February 2, 2022.
  7. "Miss North Carolina USA 2023 is Jordyn McKey". Local Today. February 26, 2023.
  8. Hidalgo, Jason. "Reno secures 3-year Miss USA and Miss Teen USA deal". Reno Gazette Journal.
  9. "Fil-Am beauty queen crowned Miss USA 2022". Manila Bulletin. October 4, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  10. "Miss USA 2022 R'Bonney Gabriel Responds to Allegation Her Win Was "Rigged"". E! Online. 7 October 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  11. Kao, Brooke (October 6, 2022). "Contestants claim Miss USA 2022 was 'rigged': 'We were humiliated'". The New York Post. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
  12. Tinoco, Armando (2023-01-15). "Miss Universe Winner: USA Representative R'Bonney Gabriel Takes Crown". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.