In a statement posted on Instagram, Miss Teen USA, UmaSofia Srivastava, has resigned her title. The news of her resignation comes just two days after Miss USA Noellia Voigt also relinquished her title.
Srivastava states, “I will always look back on my time as Miss NJ Teen USA fondly, and the experience of representing my state as a first-generation, Mexican-Indian American at the national level was fulfilling in itself. After careful consideration, I’ve decided to resign as I find that my personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization.”
Fans have voiced their support for Srivastava on the post, including former Miss USA, Noelia Voigt, who commented “I LOVE YOU! So proud of you my angel.”
Srivastava was three months away from completing her reign and crowning the next Miss Teen USA 2024. She responded to online support by reposting Instagram stories from former and current pageant contestants in support of her decision. One story includes a collage of Srivasta and Voigt with the statement: “I will forever admire their strength. Two women who stand beside one another and choose what is right. These two are the real definition of pageantry.”
Miss Teen USA responded to the resignation with a show of support. On Instagram, they shared a photo of Srivastava and said, “We respect and support UmaSofia’s decision to step down from her duties.”
The comments to this post were not positive, with comments ranging from “Definitely something wrong with y’all’s organization” to “this caption is the definition of delulu.”
Four days before the resignation announcements, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA welcomed Jordan Kimball as Co-Director and VP of social media relations. While there has been no statement connecting his involvement to the resignations, users on social media questioned his qualifications, with one of the top comments on the post stating, “You ruined Miss USA and Miss Teen USA in 24 hours.”
While her reign has come to an end, UmaSofia Srivastava has stated that she will continue to advocate for education and acceptance, which includes finalizing the development of her multilingual children’s book, The White Jaguar.”
