From the first sentence of her introduction on Sunday night, Emily Sioma, Michigan's contestant in the Miss America competition, became the talk of the country. "I'm from the state with 84 percent of the U.S.'s fresh water, but none for its residents to drink," Sioma said as she introduced her state, in a reference to the Flint Water Crisis and the broader issues surrounding unsafe water in Michigan. Sioma's statement quickly went viral among Michiganders and viewers nationwide. The 24-year-old UMich graduate from Grass Lake soon found herself featured in national and international outlets. The Washington Post said she had the best moment of the contest. People Magazine ran an article on her statements as did the BBC - one of the world's largest broadcasting services. Major cable news outlets like CNN also reported on Sioma. In its summary of the event, the New York Times dedicated a paragraph to Sioma and reported that she wore a Black Lives Matter shirt during rehearsals. Reporters as distant as Miami, Philadelphia and Houston also tweeted about Sioma's stand. Major civil rights activists like Shaun King amplified Sioma's comments on social media. More on freep.com: Twitter reviews of the new Miss America 2019 are in, 2.0 'is a trainwreck' critics say Miss Michigan calls out Flint water crisis in Miss America intro Although Sioma didn't win the competition — ultimately, Miss New York Fia Franklin did— her comments may be what will be remembered best. Meanwhile, students attending Detroit Public Schools Community District schools continue to drink from water coolers and bottled water after the district shut off drinking water in every school.<doc-sep>Emily Sioma knew she had just 8 seconds on national television. She wanted to use those 8 seconds to make a difference. That's why, while introducing herself and her state during the Miss America competition on Sunday, Miss Michigan 2018 said "I'm from the state with 84 percent of the U.S.'s fresh water, but none for its residents to drink." "I had the opportunity to represent the state of Michigan, the Great Lakes state," Sioma told the Free Press on Monday afternoon. "When people think of Michigan, they think of the lakes and flowing rivers. On the other hand, as someone who lives in the state and who represents the residents of it, I know that there are so many people in it who are struggling with access to clean water." Just days earlier, Sioma had learned about the presence of the dangerous chemical PFAS in hundreds Michigan municipal water systems and read about the Detroit Public Schools Community District shutting off drinking water because of dangerous levels of lead and copper. "I just had this gut feeling that if I did not take this opportunity to lift the voice of others who feel they’re not being listened to, I don’t think I would have used that moment appropriately," she said. Also on Freep.com: Miss Michigan calls out Flint water crisis in Miss America intro She may not have won Miss America, but Miss Michigan stole the show Besides, the top 15 contestants had already been selected — their names were written in a sealed envelope by the time Sioma stepped up to the microphone — so there was no serious harm that her stand could do. Sioma needn't have worried about that, however. The response to her statement has been overwhelmingly positive and has made headlines around the globe. Shortly before speaking with the Free Press, Sioma had sat down for an interview with the BBC. "It's kind of surreal," she said. She had intended to start a conversation when she came up with the statement a few days ago, but hadn't anticipated a response this big. "Magazines that I actually read are getting in contact with me and asking me questions." For Sioma, though, this moment wasn't really about her. "I didn’t want people thinking that I was taking the moment to bring attention to myself to make it about me selfishly." Instead, she's focused on "lifting others' voices." Sioma understands some of the criticism she has received from Michiganders, but she believes she did a good job of representing her home state. The Grass Lake native takes a balanced approach to her role: "The opportunity I was given to represent my state. And with representing all of the amazing things about Michigan also comes representing the challenges we’re facing." Also on freep.com: Michigan women among protesters dragged from Brett Kavanaugh hearings Can millennial women save sport fishing in the Great Lakes? Going forward, Sioma intends to continue championing causes that are important to her. While she has received the most attention for her stand on clean water, Sioma's social impact initiative — the social issue each Miss America contestant pledges to tackle — is lifting the voices of survivors of sexual assault. "I’m a leader in my own journey to recovery so I feel very comfortable speaking out about that and being a voice for my story," she said. "But I also want to be a voice for other people’s stories. I don’t want to speak for them but I want to use my platform to help their voices be heard." Beyond that, Sioma plans on grad school. She currently has a bachelor's degree in Women's Studies from the University of Michigan. More immediately, however, "I just want a nap," she said. "It's been a long two weeks."<doc-sep>"From a state with 84 percent of the U.S. fresh water, but none for its residents to drink, I'm Miss Michigan Emily Sioma," she said The revamped Miss America pageant encouraged its beauty queens to take a more socially and politically conscious stance Sunday night — and one contender’s platform in particular had social media buzzing. When introducing herself at the beginning of the competition, Miss Michigan Emily Sioma brought attention to the Flint water crisis rather than rattling off her personal accomplishments. Get push notifications with news, features and more. “From a state with 84 percent of the U.S. fresh water, but none for its residents to drink, I’m Miss Michigan Emily Sioma,” she said. Lead poisoning from the city’s drinking water has plagued the residents of Flint, Michigan — with children and infants bearing the brunt of the effects — for several years. The above-average levels of lead in water began to appear in 2014 after the city began using the Flint River as its source of water. Sioma, a women’s studies major at the University of Michigan, did not move on to the top 15. Miss New York Nia Imani Franklin eventually won the crown. “It took a lot of perseverance to get here and I just want to thank my beautiful family,” she said. RELATED VIDEO: Miss America Eliminates Swimsuit Competition: ‘We Are No Longer a Pageant’ In June, Gretchen Carlson, Miss America 1989 and chair of the Board of Trustees of the Miss America Organization, announced that the organization was making major changes to the contest. “We are no longer a pageant. We are a competition,” Carlson said on Good Morning America. “We will no longer judge our candidates on their outward physical appearance. That’s huge. And that means we will no longer have a swimsuit competition.”<doc-sep>Last night at the Miss America pageant—an event with a lot of background drama as it continues to refigure itself post-#MeToo—this year's Miss Michigan, Emily Sioma, used her seconds-long introduction of herself to make a statement on the status of the Flint water crisis. "From the state with 84 percent of the United States' fresh water but none for its residents to drink, I am Miss Michigan Emily Sioma," she said. This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Flint's water crisis has been ongoing since 2014, when drinking water in the city's pipes became contaminated with lead and other toxins because of improper water treatment. As a result, the nearly 100,000 residents of the city have been told to use only bottled water for drinking, cooking and bathing. In January 2017, EPA officials announced that lead and copper levels there had finally fallen below federal limits, but cautioned the water still wasn't safe to drink; residents still needed to drink from bottles or filters for another year or so. The BBC reports that it may not be until 2020 that residents can drink safely from their taps again, as the contaminated pipes aren't expected to be fully replaced until then. Sioma's statement was one of the most covered moments of the pageant, although Sioma herself did not win or make the final 15. Miss New York, Nia Franklin, was crowned the winner. Sioma is from Grass Lake, Michigan and a graduate of the University of Michigan. A survivor of sexual assault, she planned to dedicate her Miss America social impact initiative to helping support other survivors, per her bio page. Sioma spoke out about her own assault on her Instagram this April: This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Alyssa Bailey News and Strategy Editor Alyssa Bailey is the news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io<doc-sep>
"Miss America 2.0" made its debut last night and the competition and the competitors proved they're ready to discuss political and social issues. Miss Michigan Emily Sioma wasted no time when she came out on the stage and immediately called attention to the Flint water crisis. For her intro, Sioma said, "From a state with 84 percent of the U.S. fresh water, but none for its residents to drink, I'm Miss Michigan Emily Sioma." “from the state with 84 percent of the u.s. fresh water but none for its residents to drink, i am miss michigan emily sioma” — the new #missamerica2019 pageant did not come to play pic.twitter.com/H05eifix2e — alex rees (@maybealexislost) September 10, 2018 While reports of lead poisoning in Flint, Michigan populated the news throughout 2015 and 2016, the water crisis has been an ongoing issue since 2014 when the state of Michigan decided to use water from the Flint River as the city's source of water. It's reported that nearly 100,000 residents, who are primarily black and from low-income backgrounds, were exposed to extreme lead contamination. As of now, residents still must use filtered and bottled water, and the pipes that carry the water won't be replaced until 2020. Sioma, who didn't make the top 15, made a favorable impression on viewers. Miss Michigan needs to win the 2019 Miss America Pageant simply for stating there still isn't any clean water during her introduction! #Michigan #MissAmerica 💕 — Sundae Couture. (@SundaeCouture) September 10, 2018 Miss Michigan using her 10 second intro to speak on flints water crisis instead of herself is truly using her platform for her state 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 — Jesse (@swaggirljesse) September 10, 2018 In the end, Miss New York Nia Franklin won the competition, but Sioma was able to make a statement and remind viewers of the crisis many of Michigan's residents are currently facing. Shannon Barbour News Writer Shannon is a news writer at Cosmopolitan.com, and when she's not obsessing about Cardi B, she's thinking about Justin Bieber and still trying to memorize Beyoncé's Beychella choreography.