Miss America said being the first Korean-American contestant to win shows how the pageant has become 'incredibly progressive'

• Miss Alaska Emma Broyles won the 100th annual Miss America pageant on Thursday.
• She is the first Korean-American contestant to win the crown.

The 2022 Miss America Emma Broyles made history in more ways than one with her win.

Broyles, 19, was crowned on Thursday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, in the 100th Miss America pageant.

She is the first Miss Alaska to become Miss America, as well as the first Korean-American to hold the title.

Broyles, who studies biomedical science and voice performance at the Barrett Honors College at Arizona State University, told Insider she was particularly proud to be the first Korean-American to become Miss America.

"It's something that I am hoping will inspire other young women and men all across the country who may not have seen people who look like them in positions like Miss America," she said.

"I just feel honored most of all," she added.

Broyles also said she thinks her win points to the "positive change" the Miss America organization has made in recent years.

"I think the fact that I'm a Korean-American who's earned the title of Miss America is completely representative of the positive change that this organization has seen," she said. "I think that this is an organization that is incredibly progressive, and we're progressive alongside changes that we see in society as well."

"We've had such a diverse group of Miss Americas in the past decade, and even just in the top 10, it was incredibly diverse," she went on to say.

Broyles also told Insider she was glad the pageant doesn't have a swimsuit competition anymore.

"It doesn't matter what you look like. It doesn't matter what your background is. It doesn't matter who you love. None of that matters," Broyles said of Miss America today. "What matters is who you are as a person, who you want to be, and what change you want to make in the world."