Nationwide — Amber Corbett, a native New Yorker from the Bronx, was recently crowned Miss Intercontinental USA, making history as the first Black woman to represent the United States in the pageant since it began in 1971.“Winning [the competition] felt like I was breaking a glass ceiling in itself because, in 51 years, there’s never been a Black Miss Intercontinental USA,” Corbett told The Villager.
The crowning ceremony took place during a meet and greet event at The Ready Rooftop in the East Village, where Katherine McQuade, the United States of America’s Miss 2023, crowned Corbett as the new titleholder.
This year’s pageant was conducted differently, with participants submitting virtual packages instead of competing in person on stage. Despite the challenges, Corbett’s victory marks a significant breakthrough in pageant history.
“I’m planning [on] doing a safe space and hav[ing] Zoom calls for women of color to do networking. Because as a woman of color in media, it’s such a small industry,” said Corbett.
Moving forward, Amber is committed to promoting diversity and representation in the media. She plans to continue her support resource called “She’s Represented” which serves as a safe and empowering space for women of color in corporate America.
Amber Corbett graduated cum laude from Pace University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in advertising and integrated marketing communication. She now works as a marketing coordinator in ad sales at NBCUniversal Peacock and Scripted Development Division.
Despite being shy in her early years, Amber’s mother encouraged her to join pageants to boost her confidence. Since the age of 11, her pageantry journey has been remarkable with multiple crowns under her belt, including Miss Galaxy NY 2021, Miss Galaxy NY Teen 2015, Miss Earth NY Teen 2015, Miss United States NY Jr Teen 2015, and IJM Junior Teen 2015.
The Miss Intercontinental beauty pageant, set to begin in October, will see contestants competing for the title of Miss “POWER OF BEAUTY.”