SARASOTA, Fla. — Miss USA 2023, a Sarasota County native, is setting her sights on the future after making the difficult decision to step down from her title.
"My journey as Miss USA has been incredibly meaningful, representing Utah with pride, and later the USA at Miss Universe. Sadly, I have made the very tough decision to resign from the title of Miss USA 2023," Noelia Voigt wrote in a statement on Monday.
The 24-year-old from Nokomis who attended Pine View School was crowned Miss USA on Sept. 29, 2023, at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada, while representing her current home state of Utah.
Since that day, she has represented the U.S. on the Miss Universe stage, connected with people across the world and used her platform to champion a number of causes.
Noelia made history as the first Venezuelan-American Miss USA, proudly using her background to advocate for immigration rights and reform. She has also worked for years to raise awareness for dating violence and bullying, even authoring a children's book to amplify her message.
Noelia cited mental health as the reason behind her decision to resign.
"Never compromise your physical and mental well-being. Our health is our wealth," she wrote in a post.
While it's not clear what's next for the former Miss USA, she hopes to continue inspiring others to stand up for what they believe, even in difficult situations.
"Deep down I know that this is just the beginning of a new chapter for me, and my hope is that I continue to inspire others to remain steadfast, prioritize your mental health, advocate for yourself and others by using your voice, and never be afraid of what the future holds, even if it feels uncertain," Noelia said.
Noelia's resignation comes as the Miss USA organization faces criticism from both the public and former contestants. It was the subject of a documentary by The New York Times that aired in September 2023 called "How to Fix a Pageant."
More than 1,000 people flooded to the comments on Noelia's post to share their support for her and thoughts on the controversy surrounding the Miss USA organization. Several pointed out that the first letters of the first 11 sentences of Noelia's statement spell out "I AM SILENCED."
In an Instagram post, the Miss USA organization thanked Noelia for her service and expressed support for her decision.
"We respect and support Noelia’s decision to step down from her duties. The well-being of our titleholders is a top priority, and we understand her need to prioritize herself at this time. We are currently reviewing plans for the transition of responsibilities to a successor, and we will soon announce the crowning of the new Miss USA," the post read, in part.