Miss New York Nina Davuluri Wins Miss America Pageant

Miss New York Nina Davuluri won the Miss America crown Sunday night. She is the first winner of Indian heritage.

"I'm so happy this organization has embraced diversity," Davuluri, who performed a Bollywood fusion dance as her talent routine, told reporters after her win, according to The Associated Press. "I'm thankful there are children watching at home who can finally relate to a new Miss America."

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Davuluri, 24, was born in Syracuse, N.Y., and is applying to medical school with the hopes of being a doctor, according to the AP.

The previous Miss America winner, Mallory Hagan, also hailed from New York. After being held in Las Vegas for the past six years, this year's ceremony marked the pageant's return to Atlantic City, N.J.

Davuluri has already faced some backlash on Twitter because of her Indian heritage, according to the AP.

"I have to rise above that," she told reporters. "I always viewed myself as first and foremost American."

Watch her crowning moment below.