Miss California, With a Kenyan Connection, Misses Out On Miss USA Crown

On Sunday evening, Kara McCullough, a 25-year-old chemist, took home the Miss USA title for the District of Columbia. One contestant though who had stolen the hearts of Kenyans, heck Africans living in USA diaspora, India Williams made a strong showing and finished in the top ten.India is 20-year-old a college student. Her connection with Kenya has been through the time she spends working with the The Samburu Project, which provides safe drinking water to families in Kenya.India’s first pageant was in 2013– she describes it as a very small pageant that led to a national competition in Orlando.“After winning the title of Miss Oakland/San Jose and placing first runner up at the national pageant, I felt confident enough to make the transition to a much larger pageant system. I competed for the title of Miss California Teen USA in both 2014 and 2015. In the end, I actually never placed as a finalist in the [Miss] Teen division, so after taking a year off to grow and mature, I decided competing for the title of Miss California USA would be a better opportunity for me.”India went on to represent Santa Monica in the Miss California USA preliminary pageant, and eventually, she took home the crown. She cites her most memorable experience as traveling to Austin, Texas, where she helped military families find their perfect prom dress.Williams grew up in the Bay area, and is currently pursuing a degree in business entrepreneurship from Loyola Marymount University in LA, where she has been on the Dean’s list. After college, she hopes to attend law school and concentrate on intellectual property rights. India tells the East Bay Times:“The great thing about the Bay Area is that it’s very open-minded. People have ambitions, and with Silicon Valley there, business and entrepreneurship is a huge part of the climate.”