Win a crown, graduate from Law School. All in a weekend’s work for the new Miss Hawaii

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - A new Miss Hawaii was crowned Saturday night, ushering in a new legacy for the scholarship program.

Courtney Choy, previously Miss Chinatown Hawaii, clinched the title of Miss Hawaii 2021, along with thousands of dollars worth of scholarships and prizes.

Choy wowed the judges in interview, talent and on-stage question phases of competition at the Ala Moana Hotel over the weekend. She performed a hula auana and ran with the Social Impact Statement of “Women’s Empowerment through Partnership.”

She won the competition Saturday night, and on Sunday, virtually graduated from the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She also attended UH’s Shidler College of Business.

“It was a quick turnaround. I mean, I haven’t even processed that I’m Miss Hawaii,” Choy said.

“Now that I’ve obtained my Juris Doctor, I’m excited to bring that to miss Hawaii and empower the next generation of girls and women in our state to just be themselves and be you at every in every aspect of your life,” Choy added.

A resident of Ewa Beach, Choy is also an alumna of Punahou School.

She was one of 17 women in the running for the title. Tiffany Johnson of Kailua, and fellow UH alumna, was named first runner-up.

Choy steps into the role of Miss Hawaii following Nikki Kehaulani Holbrook, who held the title for two-years as the pandemic canceled the competition in 2020.

Just two weeks ago, the partner program Miss Hawaii’s Outstanding Teen selected dancer and Waipahu High student Ilima Sexton as the 2021 titleholder. Together, Choy and Sexton will serve as ambassadors of the state while promoting their platforms as they compete on the national level at Miss America, and Miss America’s Outstanding teen later this year.

Choy added that because she needs to prepare for the national competition, she may delay taking the bar exam for just a little bit.

“I feel like I’ve been preparing for this role my entire life without even knowing it. And strangely, strangely enough, I think law school really prepared me to be Miss Hawaii,” she said.

The Miss Hawaii 2021 competition was recorded and will air on May 22 at 7 p.m. on KKAI (channel 50 or 1050). There will be an encore presentation on May 23.

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