Miss USA 2023 Noelia Voigt Excited to Make Her Mark as First Venezuelan-American Winner

This year’s winner of the Miss USA title made history with her victory — but her work doesn’t stop there.

Noelia Voigt, 23, won the title of Miss USA 2023 on Friday at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada, beating Miss Hawaii runner-up Savannah Gankiewicz and Miss Wisconsin runner-up Alexis Loomans for the coveted crown.

The childhood cancer survivor from Utah tells PEOPLE that while her victory still doesn’t feel real at times, she’s excited to make her mark as the first Venezuelan-American to become Miss USA.

“Miss USA is a symbol of unity, diversity and inclusiveness,” says Voigt. “If the United States is going to be called the land of opportunity and the place where you can live the American dream… Miss USA should be able to represent all of them.”

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Miss USA 2023 Noelia Voigt.

Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock for Miss USA

Voigt says she has been preparing for Miss USA for years. She was the first runner-up in her state’s pageant three times before winning — becoming the first Venezuelan-American woman to win the Miss Utah title — and advancing to the national pageant.

Despite initially failing to achieve her goal, “she always left with something of value.”

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“It would be very easy for anyone to become first runner-up three times and just say, ‘Oh, I’m done. I can’t do this anymore.’ But it wasn’t like that for me,” says Voigt.

“I knew I had to keep pushing forward and pushing until I got to the Miss USA stage,” she continues.

Miss USA 2023 Noelia Voigt.

Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock for Miss USA

Voigt follows in the footsteps of R’Bonney Gabriel, who was the first Filipina-American woman to win Miss USA 2022. Gabriel later won Miss Universe and passed on her Miss USA crown to Miss North Carolina Morgan Romano.

As the current Miss USA, Voigt aims to connect with Venezuelan Americans and other Latin American communities “on a deeper level.”

“That’s why I’m here,” she tells PEOPLE.

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Voigt — who is the author of a children’s book that honors the life of a 9-year-old girl who died by suicide “because of how much she was abused” — she also hopes to continue her anti-bullying advocacy and awareness of teen violence.

In addition, she dreams of solving a number of other issues that are important to her, from animal welfare to skin cancer awareness.

A Utah woman, who was diagnosed with skin cancer at the age of 15, wants to educate young people about the disease and share important tips on how to avoid it or catch it early, like seeing a dermatologist.

“If I hadn’t, who knows what would have happened to me,” she says.

Miss Utah USA 2023 Noelia Voigt and Emina Cunmula.

Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock for Miss USA

Now, Voigt is heading to the Miss Universe pageant, which will be held on November 18 in El Salvador. Her predecessor, Gabriel, is still the reigning champion.

“Let’s see if we can do it side by side for the US,” says Voigt.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education