On May 16th the world witnessed the crowning of Miss USA 2010. The exquisitely crafted and much coveted, diamond encrusted crown went to Rima Fakih who is said to be the first ever Arab American to win the title. She beat out 50 other hopefuls in the running to become the next Miss USA. Never before in the history of the Miss USA pageant has a contestant of a Muslim faith or an immigrant status won the crown so this year’s pageant will go down in history as being truly different and one of its kind.
Rima fakih was born in Lebanon into an established and well known Muslim Shiite family. Although Rima Fakih’s family is Muslim, they incorporate both Islamic and Christian teachings into their faith. The family moved to the Queens, New York, USA when she was a baby in 1993. Rima completed her schooling from St. John's Preparatory School, which is a catholic school in New York. In 2003 her family moved to Dearborn, Michigan where she got a college degree in economics and business management from the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
The 24-year old Rima Fakih of Michigan is the 59th Miss USA. She got her crowning glory at the Theatre for the Performing Arts in Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. She will represent the USA in the Miss Universe 2010 pageant whose official date has not yet been announced.
Miss USA 2009 Kristen Dalton passed on her crown to Rima Fakih thus marking the start of Rima’s reign as the next Miss USA for the duration of one year. Among the many prizes, campaigns and endorsements that Rima has received, she also gets an apartment in New York with a one-year lease combined with fully paid living expenses. Moreover, she will receive a wide array of beauty and health services as part of the many perks that come along with being Miss USA.
