Courtney Choy will attend her University of Hawaii law school graduation Sunday as the newly crowned Miss Hawaii 2021.

Choy was named winner of the 74th annual Miss Hawaii 2021 Competition held tonight at the Ala Moana Hotel. The Ewa Beach resident and Punahou School alumna entered the pageant as Miss Chinatown Hawai‘i. Among her many academic honors are graduating summa cum laude from the UH Shidler College of Business with a bachelor’s of business administration degree in marketing, management and international business.

Choy performed hula auana for the talent portion of the pageant, and her social impact statement was “Women’s empowerment through partnership.”

Her prizes include a $5,000 cash scholarship.

Miss Kailua, Tiffany Johnson, was named first runner-up; Miss Kona Coffee, Carly Yoshida, was second-runner-up; Miss Ka‘ohao, Maka‘ala Perry, was third runner-up; and Miss Chinese Jaycees, Lauren Teruya, was fourth runner-up. Perry also captured the talent portion of the competition.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s pageant was conducted in-person with a limited audience of parents and sponsors and a mix of pre-recorded segments. The Miss Hawaii Organization will air the pageant on KKAI (channels 50/150) on May 22, 23, 29 and 30.

The other Miss Hawaii 2021 candidates are Miss Aloha Hawaii, Katheryn Frederick; Miss Kaneohe, Sarah Barry; Miss Lahaina, Caylyn Vilatora; Miss Waikiki, Khrizz Rodriguez; Miss Central Oahu, Arielle Rathburn; Miss Diamond Head, Kiri Takanishi; Miss Latina Hawaii, Aimee Bravo; Miss Windward Oahu, Maia Mayeshiro; Miss Hawaii Kai, Naia Torres; Miss Kakaako, Tiana Koch; Miss Koolau, Cecilia Dagdagan; and Miss Philippines Hawaii, Rachel Sabio.