ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – During Sunday night's broadcast of the 2019 Miss America pageant, Emily Sioma, the 24-year-old Miss Michigan from Grass Lake, made it clear exactly where she comes from.
Sioma introduced herself by stating she is "from the state with 84 percent of the (United States') fresh water, but none for its residents to drink."
“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
Sioma's introduction should not be considered a surprise. She is a self-proclaimed activist that uses her platform as Miss Michigan for the betterment of society.
"Miss America empowered me to no longer feel as though I must apologize for being the strong, bold, empowered woman that I am. It is through this organization that we can show women that they deserve to be celebrated for everything that they are. Our bodies, voices, minds, and stories are valid, valuable, and worthy of respect," Sioma said on her Miss America bio page.
She has advocated for sexual assault survivors, and even took a silent protest at her graduation from the University of Michigan in 2016 in order to take a stand against sexual assault.
Sioma did not win the Miss America competition, but she did create a buzz on social media by standing up for what she believes in.