Miss America: 'Being smart is cool'


Nina Davuluri, a.k.a. Miss America 2014, wants young women to know the value of education. "Being smart is cool," Davuluri said Monday at a roundtable discussion of diversity in STEM education.
Davuluri is in Washington, D.C. this week speaking with teachers and legislators about STEM, Politico reports. She spoke to this year's Einstein Fellows, a group of teachers who spend a year working at Washington agencies like the National Science Foundation, about STEM on Monday.
In addition to being the first Indian American chosen as Miss America, Davuluri has distinguished herself from past winners with her focus on STEM and education. Earlier this year, she spoke at Yale about her passion for intellectual pursuits. Before becoming Miss America, Davuluri studied brain, behavior, and cognitive science at the University of Michigan.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Davuluri is passionate about increasing diversity in STEM, and she told Morning Education that she wants to be a role model for female students, Politico reports. "Education is the key to success, and we need to make more students see that," Davuluri said. On Wednesday, she will join Attorney General Eric Holder, Education Secretary Arne Duncan, and White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough for a "Let's Read! Let's Move!" event to encourage young people to read and exercise during the summer months.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.
-
The week’s best photos
In Pictures A palace on fire, a shopping cart protest, and more
-
The Week Unwrapped: Why is horse-racing going on strike?
Podcast Plus, will the South Korean women who worked in state-run brothels set up for US soldiers succeed? And what’s behind a surge in leg-lengthening surgery?
-
Sudoku medium: September 12, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play