UmaSofia Srivastava is saying goodbye to her title.
Two days after Noelia Voigt announced she was stepping down from her role as Miss USA 2023, the 17-year-old shared her own resignation as Miss Teen USA.
“After careful consideration,” UmaSofia wrote in a May 8 Instagram post, “I’ve decided to resign as I find that my personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization.”
It was a difficult decision for the former Miss New Jersey Teen USA, who won the crown in September.
“After months of grappling with this decision, I have made the choice to resign from the title of Miss Teen USA 2023,” she explained. “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.”
UmaSofia—the first Miss New Jersey USA to win the coveted title—admitted that while she didn’t expect her reign to end like this, she’s looking forward to the future as she finishes 11th grade and applies for colleges.