Here at Audrey, we’re a big fan of Nina Davuluri. The 24-year-old made pageant history by becoming the first woman of Indian descent to earn the prestigious title of Miss America.
As it turns out, there’s an even bigger fan of Davuluri. Eighteen-year-old Patrick Farves showed the world just how much he loves Miss America by asking her one of the most nerve-racking questions that a high school student can ask.
He asked her to prom.
Davaluri was visiting a Pennsylvania high school to discuss diversity, science, technology, engineering and math studies. As you can expect, Davuluri had no idea she would leave with an invitation to prom.
According to Huffington Post, “The senior at Central York High School stood up and popped the prom question, then walked to the stage with a plastic flower. Davuluri just laughed and the students cheered.”
Unfortunately, school officials had already warned Farves not to go through with his plan. As punishment for breaking the rules, Farves has received three days of in-school suspension.
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While we certainly don’t advocate for rule-breaking, we understand Farves’ affinity for Davuluri. Not only was she Miss America, Davuluri proved that she is quite an individual to admire. After winning her title, she quickly became the focus of discriminatory and racist comments on various social media platforms. The aspiring doctor was referred to, among other things, as “Miss 7-11,” “Miss Al-Qaeda,” and as a “terrorist.”
Did these harsh comments get to her? Absolutely not. In fact, she commented on why racism gives her even more reason to keep going.
“I grew up watching Miss America for years and years, and as the daughter of immigrants, I always thought to myself that I could never be that – because I didn’t look a certain way; I didn’t fit the model of what was up there on that screen,” she says. “And it shouldn’t be about race, it shouldn’t – but it is. To be able to stand up there, and be an example for other little girls that America is now a very different place, that’s everything to me.”
“I’d already experienced [racism] on a smaller scale when I won Miss New York,” she added. “It’s part of the reason I was so determined to focus my platform on diversity. But you can’t just scream in the dark, you have to try to shed light and awareness.”
Need even more reason to love Nina Davuluri? Check out our top 5 reasons.
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