For the first time, a Sri Lankan-American girl has been crowned Miss California Teen USA-2023.
Her name is Talia Peiris.
Thus, she is going to compete, representing the state of California in the upcoming Miss Teen USA pageant.
Talia became the Miss Teen California on the 29th after many rounds of competitions held over two days. 40 young women from across the state participated.
15 semi-finalists were selected, and after the rest of the competition, the judges selected the top five finalists. The top five finalists answered one question on stage, after which Talia was crowned the winner.
Talia has lived in San Ramon since she was five years old. She excelled in school at dance, piano and as a girl scout. She was also always interested in fashion and modeling.
Already a graduate, she is set to attend Santa Clara University. There she will study Management Information Systems in the College of Business.
She aspires to become a business analyst for an entertainment company and combine her passions for business and pop culture. She has already started making her mark in the industry as the owner of her own social media marketing company, TAP Media. She helps small businesses in her community with her digital marketing and social media campaigns.
She was now learning how to become a DJ artist. Talia has always loved expressing herself through performing arts. It also encourages others to pursue creative careers.
She started her social media campaign III Creatives (Inspiring Imagination and Inclusivity) to highlight the importance of representation in the entertainment industry and access to visual and performing arts resources for all to learn and enjoy.
She hopes to expand this platform by continuing her Instagram Live series ‘Creative Convos with Taliya Peiris’, interviewing emerging artists in the industry, as well as creating a scholarship for deserving student artists to pursue higher education.
Ms. Julie Chung, the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka who met her, said she believes Talia will use her role to build ties between the US and Sri Lanka in the arts and beyond. The ambassador also congratulated Talia on her victory as Miss California Teen USA, through her social network account.
