There’s plenty of things wrong with beauty pageants, but they get at least one thing right: D.C. has full representation. And last night, a 26-year-old Army officer from the District of Columbia represented, beating out Miss Georgia and Miss Hawaii to bring home the Miss USA crown.

Deshauna Barber is an IT analyst at the U.S. Department of Commerce and a logistics commander at Fort Meade. Her military experience featured in her Q&A, including in this exchange:

Miss USA Judge Joe Zee: “Some have questioned whether [opening women up to all combat jobs] put political correctness over our military’s ability to perform at the highest level. What are your thoughts?”

Barber: “As a woman in the United States army, I think it was an amazing job by our government to allow women to integrate into every branch of the military. We are just a tough as men. As a commander of my unit, I am powerful, I am dedicated and it is important that we recognize that gender doesn’t limit us in the United States Army.”

Her bosses at the U.S. Army Reserve seem to approve.

Barber was born in Georgia, but moved frequently for her father’s military career before going to school at Virginia State University and eventually settling in the District. She lists her interests as dancing, hiking, and enjoying quality time with her family, and she owns a ball python, according to a bio. Her platform at the contest was PTSD treatment for soldiers returning from deployments and suicide prevention in the Armed Forces.

In post-win interviews, Barber said she plans to take a break from the Reserves to fulfill her Miss USA duties.

Some of the answers that propelled her to the win:

But lest a pageant go without some kind of controversy, a judge asked finalist Miss Hawaii if she would vote for Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump (who sold the Miss Universe pageant after NBC cut ties amid his anti-immigrant remarks last summer).

She sidestepped the question, answering ““All I have to say is … it doesn’t matter what gender. What we need in the United States is someone who represents those of us who feel like we don’t have a voice. Those of us who want our voices heard. We need a president who will push for what is right and who will push for what America really needs.”

Meanwhile, Steve Harvey used the occasion to make light of his gaffe last year, when he accidentally crowned Miss Colombia as Miss Universe (he also appeared in a preview video, offering host Terrence Jenkins some advice to stay far away from the word Colombia)

Filed Under: deshauna barber, miss america, miss dc, miss usa,