03
April
2020

“Inclusion and equality of women in STEM fields”: Miss Illinois USA 2020 Olivia Pura in the race for Miss USA 2020 crown

03 Apr 2020 | Priya Bhardwaj

The 69th edition of Miss USA beauty pageant is expected to be held sometime in May/June 2020. Contenders from all over the USA will vie for the crown of Miss USA 2020 and the winner will thereby represent the USA in Miss Universe 2020.

While the pageant is yet to begin, there are a few contestants who have caught the audience’s eye and one of them is Miss Illinois USA 2020 Olivia Pura. Olivia was crowned Miss Illinois USA 2020 on 2nd September 2020 as she became the official delegate of the national contest. Born and raised in Chicagoland, Olivia is the daughter of Derek and Anna Pura, the oldest sister to three siblings, and the mom to Bambi, a bernedoodle puppy.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Olivia Pura (@oliviapura) on

 

Olivia is a first-generation Polish-American and is proud to represent both her heritages at an international platform. She is also one of those beauties who have participated in beauty pageants since their teens as she previously held the title of Miss Illinois Teen USA 2016. She represented Illinois at Miss Teen USA 2016 and placed in the Top 15. However, this time she wishes to bring the national crown home and represent USA at Miss Universe 2020 with sincerity and dedication.

Olivia is a senior at Northwestern, where she double-majors in Biochemistry and Slavic Languages and Literatures. She is a very intelligent woman as she has maintained Dean’s List status since her freshman days. For her social work, Olivia serves as a Peer Mentor for NU|Bioscientist - a program that helps prepare first-generation, low-income freshmen for undergraduate research. She is also an active member of both Kappa Alpha Theta and the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Olivia Pura (@oliviapura) on

 

Another STEM advocate in the making, Olivia plans to use the platform of Miss Illinois USA to advocate for the inclusion and equality of women in STEM fields. Having faced implicit bias in her own life, Olivia recognizes the power of a role model and hopes to serve as an inspiration for others. She definitely has the beauty and the brains to be a strong contender for the national crown in our opinion.