Crystal Lee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Crystal Lee
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Miss California's Outstanding Teen 2008
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| Born | August 2, 1991 San Francisco, California, U.S.
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| Education | Stanford University (BA, MA) |
| Title | Miss Teen San Francisco 2008 Miss California's Outstanding Teen 2008 Miss Chinatown USA 2010 Miss San Francisco 2011 Miss South Counties 2012 Miss Silicon Valley 2013 Miss California 2013 |
| Beauty pageant titleholder | |
| Major competition(s) |
Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2009 (top 10) Miss America 2014 (first runner-up) |
Crystal Lee, born on August 2, 1991, is a super talented person! She's known for being the first runner-up in the Miss America 2014 pageant. She also won Miss California in 2013, Miss Chinatown USA in 2010, and Miss California's Outstanding Teen in 2008. Today, she's even an in-arena host for the Golden State Warriors basketball team. She also helped start a company called LifeSite in Silicon Valley.
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Crystal Lee's Early Life
Crystal Lee was born in San Francisco, California. Her father is Chinese-American, and her mother is Taiwanese. She went to the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts. Later, she studied at Stanford University. She earned two degrees there in 2013. One was in human biology, and the other was in communication.
Competing in Miss America 2014
Crystal Lee was the first runner-up in the Miss America 2014 pageant. Her special cause, or "platform," was "Women in STEM." STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. She also won a scholarship for STEM and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award.
A Historic Moment
In the final moments of the Miss America pageant, Crystal Lee and Miss New York Nina Davuluri were the last two contestants. A co-host asked them how they felt. Nina Davuluri said they were "both so proud." She added, "We’re making history right here, standing here as Asian-Americans.”
Later, Nina Davuluri described it as a "very surreal" moment. She said, "I was holding hands with Miss California, Crystal Lee. We were both standing there at such a historic moment. Two Asian-Americans who were going to take the title."
Crystal Lee's Thoughts
When Crystal Lee was asked about that moment, she said she was focused on the results. She didn't think about them being Asian at first. She explained that there had been a Chinese-American in the Top 2 before. But maybe not an Indian-American, which Nina Davuluri is.
Crystal Lee said, "I’ve always thought of myself to be just as American as I am Asian." She believes our country is made of people from many backgrounds. She added, "Stepping out of the competition, I now realize what a huge step this is for all Asian Americans."
Responding to Negative Comments
After Nina Davuluri won, some people made unkind comments online. These comments were unfair and based on her background. News reports showed messages that questioned why she won. Some people wrongly thought she was Muslim or Arab.
Crystal Lee spoke out against these comments. She said people should be "ashamed of themselves." She also said it was good that the media called out these unkind people. She believes it shows how much we need to work on being accepting.
Video Clips
- Vote for Miss California 2013 Crystal Lee - Miss America Organization
- Miss America's runner-up is Miss Silicon Valley, a Stanford grad. Contra Costa Times, September 16, 2013.
- Groundbreaking Miss America Winner Miss New York Takes Home Pageant Crown - ABC News, September 16, 2013
