Beauty and Brains: African American Nuclear Scientist wins 2017 Miss USA

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The new Miss USA is a scientist at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and she knows a thing or two about dropping a bomb….and no it’s not a figurative one, its the actual physical bomb, with the radiation.

According to cosmopilitan.com, Kára McCullough, Miss District of Columbia was crowned as the new Miss USA, beating out 50 other state titleholders and taking over the crown from 2016’s champ Deshauna Barber — who was also represented D.C.

Widely seen as a ~strong contender~ for a crown throughout the proceedings, McCullough nonetheless navigated the swimsuit and evening gown rounds with ease.

McCullough also spoke eloquently about healthcare in the Q&A round (arguably the most charged question posed to the top 5), though took her moment in the “final word” round to label herself as an “equalist” rather than a feminist outright with her stand out moment being her stand on affordable health care in America is a “privilege” instead of a “right.”

“I’m definitely going to say it’s a privilege,” McCullough (photo) said during the question-and-answer segment of the 2017 pageant at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on the Las Vegas Strip.

“As a government employee, I’m granted health care. And I see firsthand that for one, to have health care, you need to have jobs, so therefore we need to continue to cultivate this environment so that we’re given the opportunities to have health care as well as jobs for all Americans worldwide.”

McCullough works as a nuclear scientist, NBD, and works at the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. As her Miss USA bio makes clear, she is also the founder of a community outreach program designed to foster a greater appreciation for the sciences in young children. She also apparently has “a penchant for cooking specialty Italian food.”

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