Even after getting into pageantry, I never thought that I would win Miss USA. The last time that they had a Miss USA who was my skin tone was Kenya Moore in 1993 — that was a long time ago. But that's something that comes with life in general, not just pageants. You're put in a situation where you might have to be that trailblazer. You might have to break that trend in your own way. I thought it was beautiful that I could represent those darker chocolate girls that don't always see themselves on the national stage. I see a lot of women of colour that have competed and won, but it felt good to represent dark-skinned Black women.