(UPDATED) Filipina-American Ayzjiahna Wood finished fourth runner-up in Miss Teen USA 2021, and also won the Best State Costume award.

She was crowned Miss Utah Teen USA at Eccles Theater in downtown Salt Lake City earlier this fall.

"It was important because it showed that I could accomplish something that I had looked up to ever since I was a little girl, and I did it in a way that allowed me to be truly myself," she said.

Wood, whose mother is from Cabanatuan City, is the first Filipina to represent the Beehive State at the pageant which was won by Florida's Breanna Myles.

The 16-year-old from Clearfield, Utah said she couldn't be happier to be representing both the Filipino and African-American community.

"I think it’s cool that we’re still seeing these firsts in our generations because we just keep breaking these barriers," she said.

Wood plans to raise awareness about her social impact initiative called Body Embrace, where she teaches people to embrace their individuality. She will also pursue her education in health care.

"I’m going to go home and continue working on my CNA, which is a certified nursing assistant, so that I can become a dermatologist and hopefully get an internship at a dermatology clinic," she said.

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