A native of Eufaula, Alabama, Peyton Brown is currently a 22-year-old senior studying Communication Studies at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. She is actively involved with the American Cancer Society, Relay for Life, the Boys and Girls Club of West Alabama, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. She is also passionate about educating people, especially young women, on the importance of taking care of their skin. Her commitment to this cause comes from losing her father to Melanoma as a child. Peyton loves being outdoors and enjoys water sports, riding horses, and being active. She still considers herself a bit of a homebody and loves cooking and baking as well as spending time with her family. After she graduates from college she hopes to obtain her Master’s in Nonprofit Management and one day become a Public Relations manager for a nonprofit organization.

Ariane Audett is a Pre-Med Biological Sciences major at the University of Alaska. After graduating, she will attend medical school to obtain her MD-PhD dual doctorate degree to pursue a career in biomedical research. Ariane currently assists several undergraduate research projects and plans to assist in finding a cure for Melanoma. Ariane works two jobs to support herself. She is a medical scribe for a primary care physician and University Honor’s College Promotor. Ariane is pursuing her private pilot’s license so that she can explore every part of her beautiful state. She is also the volunteer coordinator for Alaska’s American Medical Student Association, involved in student government, and volunteer for the Covenant House, Alaska’s largest homeless shelter for youth. Experiencing homelessness as a child, Ariane uses her story of triumph over adversities to inspire many lives, and will be able to reach a larger audience when she brings home the crown to Alaska for the first time.

Chelsea Myers, an Arizona native, is a student, model and fashionista. She is studying Fashion Merchandising with an emphasis in marketing. Chelsea is passionate about empowering young women by embracing personal style and expressing personality through fashion. Chelsea is part Norwegian and part German, and it is one of her dreams to some day travel to both countries to learn more about her heritage. She is 20-years-old, and enjoys working as a model represented by the Ford/ Robert Black Agency. Chelsea is an animal lover and she loves spending time with her Pomchi puppy and helping with various rescue organizations. She is also a coffee and chocolate enthusiast! She hopes to pursue a career as a fashion buyer for a department store. Chelsea chooses faith to guide her through life and she truly believes that everything happens for a reason. She is very honored and thrilled to be able to represent the beautiful state of Arizona.

Abby Floyd was born and raised in Searcy, Arkansas and began modeling at an early age which gave her many opportunities to travel around the world. Having been Miss Arkansas Teen USA 2013, Abby made history when she was crowned Miss Arkansas USA 2016 as the first woman in 20 years to hold both titles. In addition to numerous modeling jobs, she has also appeared on the hit TV show Nashville. Abby has been a fierce competitor in the horse show industry, winning several major shows as well as capturing a world champion title. After losing both her grandmothers to cancer, and with her Dad being a cancer survivor, Abby was thrilled to be asked to work on several events with the American Association for Cancer Research. She hopes to spread awareness of cancer while honoring her grandmothers. Abby plans to combine her on-camera experience with her real estate license to host her own Emmy Award-winning show on HGTV someday.

Nadia Grace Mejia is a 20-year-old full time model born and raised in California and currently lives in Huntington Beach. She has traveled the world for her modeling career and has worked for brands such as Nordstrom, Ulta, Reef, PacSun, JC Penny, Asos and many more. She is a worship leader at the Angelus Temple Dream Center in Los Angeles and sings for more than 3,000 people at four services a week. Nadia is a spokesperson for the National Eating Disorder Association, spreading the message to "Love the skin you're in" nationwide, sharing her own personal experience of suffering from Anorexia. Her main goal is to one day open up a Latin American-Mediterranean Fusion restaurant which will enable her to embrace her ethnicity of being Ecuadorean and Lebanese. Nadia's mother was a former Miss USA contestant in 1989 representing the state of West Virginia and her father was a one hit wonder in the 90's, also known as "Rico Suave."

Growing up, Caley-Rae danced competitively and was a member of the Poms squad in high school. She was on Student Council, the Assistant Editor of her school’s national award-winning newspaper “The Rock”, and won three State Championships in Journalism. Caley is most proud of her legacy as a founder of “Wish Week” raising money to grant children’s wishes through the Make-A-Wish foundation. She graduated high school with highest honors maintaining a 4.2 GPA. A large scholarship led Caley to Southern Methodist University. Caley received her degree in Advertising and Fashion and interned at Dallas' prestigious magazine, D Magazine. She studied abroad her junior year in London. In 2015, she graduated magna cum laude with a double major. Caley has been a Pure Barre fitness instructor for the past four years and works as a professional model represented by NEXT Model Management. She has walked for brands such as Louis Vuitton, Wildfox and Misha NoNoo.

Tiffany is a 25-year-old first generation American. She resides in Bridgeport, Connecticut and is currently a Critical Care Registered Nurse at Yale-New Haven Hospital where she practices on the Surgical/Trauma Intensive Care Unit. Growing up in an inner city and experiencing hardships herself because of the lack of resources and positive role models, Tiffany has made it her goal to encourage others like herself to rise above the stigma by sharing her story of being a self-made woman who did not let unfavorable circumstances define her. Tiffany is a strong believer in the power of positive thinking. She believes that positive thoughts breed positive results and credits her ability to replace pessimism with optimism which is how she has been able to overcome the adversities she has faced.

Alexandra lives and attends school in the town of Newark, Delaware. She is currently studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Delaware and has a minor in Mathematics. Though engineering is a field Alexandra is grateful to be a part of, her life dream is to become an actress. Alexandra finds that no matter what goals anyone envisions for themselves, at the end of the day, the most important accomplishment for anybody is to maintain a healthy body and mind by eating right, exercising, and allowing oneself to relax when necessary. Alexandra's mother grew up in Moscow and moved to New York City when she was Alexandra's age, 21. Alexandra's father moved to New York City when he was 18 and stayed for many years, eventually meeting her mother and settled in New Jersey. Alexandra has a sister, Tatiana, who is 19 years old. One of Alexandra's passions is traveling, and she finds it necessary to one day have a career that allows her to travel all around the world.

Deshauna is 26 years old and was born in Columbus, Georgia. Due to her father’s military career she relocated multiple times to states including North Carolina, Nebraska, Minnesota, Virginia and finally to Washington, D.C. After graduating with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business Management from Virginia State University, Deshauna moved to Washington D.C. where she is currently working as an IT Analyst for the U.S. Department of Commerce. Being the daughter of a retired Army Master Sergeant it is no shocker that Deshauna decided to join the Army. She commissioned as a Quartermaster Officer in 2011 and is currently a Logistics Commander for the 988th Quartermaster Detachment Unit at Fort Meade, Maryland. Deshauna loves to dance, hike and enjoy quality time with her family. Deshauna has a passion to serve the men and women in the U.S. military, specifically focusing her platform on PTSD treatment for soldiers returning from deployments and suicide prevention in the Armed Forces.

Emanii is a 22-year-old senior at Valdosta State University where she is studying Communications with an emphasis in intercultural organization. She comes from a caring and loving family who she believes has shaped her into the successful young woman she is today. Since winning her title of Miss Georgia USA, she has partnered with USO, Chick-Fil-A as well as working on her own program Modern Enlightenment. The M.E. project advocates the importance of education and encourages students to participate in the arts and extracurricular activities to develop self-identity and key skills for academic success. Emanii also has a passion for building confidence in young women, and creating a movement for more women leaders. Her favorite quote by Henry Ford is, “If you believe you can or you can’t you’re right."

Sydney, 21, is a graduate of the University of Idaho. She majored in Clothing, Textiles and Design with an emphasis in Marketing. She feels fortunate to have been adopted at a young age into a loving family that instilled in her compassionate virtues and a strong work ethic. She has modeled for many years and continues to model today. Sydney is very passionate about helping to give back to her community and helping out the younger generations. Sydney has used the Miss Idaho USA platform to support and publicize adoption advocacy initiatives. She has also been able to advocate for Miss USA's platform of breast and ovarian cancer. Mahatma Gandhi encouraged us to "be the change you wish to see in the world." Sydney aims to do exactly that.

Zena Malak is a first-generation American currently living in Chicago, Illinois. She is three-quarters Lebanese and one-quarter Egyptian, and while she has traveled to Lebanon enough to be fluent in Arabic, she hopes to someday visit her relatives in Egypt as well. She recently graduated from DePaul University with a degree in Business Management and Entrepreneurship, and worked two jobs at the same time. Zena hopes to earn an MBA and become a successful entrepreneur and a role model to young women striving to achieve their goals in the business world. Zena is a self-proclaimed "cat lady" and loves all animals, but especially elephants - she even "adopted" one named Misty! She loves the diversity and culture of Chicago - and especially loves indulging in Chicago style deep-dish pizza. After watching her cousin compete for Miss Illinois Teen USA when she was 11, Zena dreamed of becoming the role model and spokeswoman that is Miss USA.

Victoria Wiggins is daughter of an Army Master Sergeant, Jeffrey Wiggins and a nurse Ellaleilani Wiggins who taught her discipline and being sympathetic and aligning herself with many charities that include Warriors For Ross, Dads Care 2, and Big Brothers Big Sisters. She is a strong advocate for positive self-esteem and perseverance when going after your goals. She graduated from Lindenwood University with a degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Management and has plans to own her own boutique. Victoria currently works as a fashion merchandiser and has viewed fashion shows from the audience and the stage, where she has been a runway model for 10 years. Victoria stays fit by running, a long standing passion of hers. Victoria is a sucker for animals, rescuing birds, turtles, cats and dogs. These days Victoria is a “mommy” to two turtles, a cat, and a Chihuahua named Sarge.

Kyle Hornback is a sophomore at the University of Louisville where she majors in Political Science and minors in Spanish and Philosophy. She plans to attend law school after graduating and later becoming a criminal attorney and eventually a circuit court judge. Kyle was elected by the student body to serve as a senator in Student Government at UofL. She is very close with her family and has two older brothers and a little sister. When she was 9-years-old, her oldest brother Zack was in a car accident and suffered a traumatic brain injury. After watching him struggle to get his life back, she partnered with the Brain Injury Alliance of Kentucky where she advocates for brain injury awareness and prevention. She loves to interact with the families of those who are suffering from brain injuries and give them hope that miracles do happen. In her free time, Kyle loves to play with her Pyrador puppy, Luna and try new local restaurants. She is trained in jazz and ballet and loves to perform.

Maaliyah says her goal in life is to help others personally through participating in a variety of charity endeavors, in addition to one day accomplishing this goal professionally as a Psychologist. She is a board member of the Southwest Louisiana International Club, an organization which specializes in helping new citizens who have migrated to the area get acclimated with their new surroundings. The International Club helps new citizens find jobs, housing and even handles the paperwork for work and resident visas, permits and passports.

She is also passionate about the issue of safe and responsible driving, having lost both a close friend as well as a family member to drunk drivers. During her reign as Miss Louisiana USA, she has partnered with MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), as well as other charities to promote causes that are important to her and her state.

An avid traveler, Maaliyah enjoys visiting exotic locations such as Honduras and would like to visit Dubai one day.

Marisa is 22 years old from Standish, Maine and is the youngest of three. Marisa graduated high school in 2012 with over a 4.0 GPA. Marisa is expected to graduate cum laude from Stonehill College with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics with a minor in Business. Marisa is not only an accomplished student, but athlete as well being a three sport collegiate athlete, having been on Stonehill College's soccer, lacrosse and cheering teams. Marisa is an avid angler, and has received international attention for her shark tagging efforts with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. Marisa loves to travel and has been to over ten countries and hopes to double that number within the coming years. In the spring of 2015 Marisa studied abroad at the prestigious Kings College London. While living in London she was afforded the opportunity to walk in a London Fashion Week event for Lagunta De Fancy. Marisa's other hobbies include singing opera and musical theater, hiking, boating and kayaking.