Amanda Adelina Torchia, 25, just won the Miss Connecticut USA 2021 crown. Representing Middlebury, Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States, she bested 23 other candidates.

The Miss Connecticut USA 2021 preliminary competition took place at the Hartford/Windsor Marriott Airport Hotel in Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut on June 5, 2021. The coronation night was held in the same venue on June 6, 2021.

Runner-up to Torchia was Tracy Sooklall of Bridgeport. The respective second, third and fourth runners-up were Erika Porras of Hartford, Savannah Giammarco of Portland and Hillary Scoville of Wethersfield.

Giammarco was Miss Connecticut USA 2019 third runner-up. Sooklall was Miss Connecticut USA 2020 second runner-up while Torchia was runner-up to Miss Connecticut USA 2020 Chelsea Demby, who was unplaced in Miss USA 2020.

Torchia is of Afghan and Italian descent. Her father is from Calabria, Italy while her mother is from Kabul, Afghanistan.

Before moving to Connecticut, Torchia lived in New York, USA where she won several beauty pageant. She competed twice in Miss New York Teen USA, finishing in the Top 10 both in 2012 and in 2014.

The Afghan-Italian beauty queen went on to win Miss Royalty International Teen 2014 and 2015 National American Miss New York Teen. She competed in Miss New York USA twice but was unplaced both in 2016 and in 2017.

On the other hand, Torchia won 2017 National American Miss New York and Face of Ashley Rene. She also won Terani Couture‘s Glam Girl Contest in 2018.

If Torchia wins Miss USA 2021, she will be the second woman from Connecticut to represent the U.S. in Miss Universe. The first one was Erin Brady who finished in the Top 10 at Miss Universe 2013.

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Miss Universe was formed on June 28, 1952. It is one of the top four international beauty pageants along with Miss World, Miss International and Miss Earth.

On November 29, 2020, Roxanne Allison Baeyens, 23, of Baguio City, Philippines competed against 83 other candidates at Miss Earth 2020 and ranked third, winning the Miss Earth-Water 2020 title. She lost to Miss Earth 2020 Lindsey Coffey, 29, of the United States and the runner-up Miss Earth-Air 2020 Stephany Zreik, 25, of Venezuela.

Representing Baguio City, Baeyens was crowned Miss Philippines Earth 2020 on July 26, 2020. She was born in Baguio City to her Belgian father Walter Baeyens and her Filipino mother Julia Agnaonao-Baeyens, who is from Catengan, Besao, Mountain Province, Philippines.