Adrees Latif / Reuters
The Empire State has established its reign at the Miss America pageant. Kira Kazantsev, the 23-year-old daughter of Russian immigrants who was raised in California, became the third consecutive Miss New York to win America’s favorite scholarship beauty pageant. Her rendition of Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” to the cups routine from Pitch Perfect even helped her beat out Miss Ohio Mackenzie Bart and her show-stopping ventriloquism. Kazantsev also opened up about her own experiences with abusive relationships during the Miss America show and was asked about the Ray Rice incident during the questions portion. “In the United States, the justice system is driving the getaway car for abusers,” said Kazantsev, a future law-school student. She was crowned by last year’s winner and fellow New Yorker, Nina Davuluri. “The thing about New York, especially being Miss New York, is that you have to make it. You have to bust your little tushy to get to where you want to go, and that creates somebody that’s very independent, very... able to do things on her own,” said Kazantsev.