Kylie Chang, BS 27, marks historic year as Miss California USA

As a first-year student at UC Berkeley, Kylie Chang, BS 27, considered taking a break from participating in beauty pageants to focus on her classes and applying to Haas. But support from the Asian community made her change her mind.

“A lot of people were saying they wanted me to represent the Asian community because you don’t often see a lot of Asian Americans in mainstream pageantry,” Chang said. “So I made it my mission to be the first Asian to win Miss California USA.”

Her mission paid off. In August 2025, Chang was named Miss California USA, a historic moment as, for the first time, both finalists were Asian American. Chang held back tears as she accepted the title and the crown.

“One of my main goals competing in pageants was to increase representation and to inspire the next generation of young women to feel like they can achieve their goals and dreams, no matter their background,” she said.

After taking a gap semester to prepare, Chang represented California in the national Miss USA 2025 pageant in Reno, Nevada. While Miss Nebraska took the Miss USA title, Chang said it was an honor to represent her home state and that taking center stage for the opening dance performance was “a full circle moment.” “My passion for dance, pageantry, and artistry came together,” she said.

For the state costume part of the event, she wore a red-and-yellow gown adorned with feathers and rhinestones, symbolizing a mythical phoenix rising from the ashes. Made using recycled materials, the costume “represented the resilience of the state of California and our strength during the recent wildfires,” Chang explained.

Charity work

Over the past three years, many charity and modeling opportunities have come Chang’s way. She walked the runway in New York and Los Angeles during Fashion Week, representing brands like Adidas and Jovani. While modeling, Chang says she brings her dance artistry to the catwalk and photo shoots.

Chang is also committed to multiple causes, serving as a spokesmodel and dancer for Catwalk for Charitable Causes, invited by its founder Monique Zhang and co-chair Fiona Ma, California’s State Treasurer. Through its annual Fashion Fantasia charity show, Catwalk for Charitable Causes raises money for organizations including the Chinese Hospital of San Francisco and Self-Help for the Elderly.

In 2022, Ma awarded Chang a certificate of recognition for serving as a “voice and advocate for preserving culture and heritage in the Bay Area and beyond.” Now, she’s looking forward to working with Best Buddies International, supporting children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

A love of Chinese dance

A Cupertino native, Chang began studying Chinese dance at age 5, growing to love the storytelling aspect of the art. Over the years, she said that Chinese dance has also taught her the importance of cultural representation.

As co-captain of her high school dance team, Chang competed in jazz, hip-hop, and other dance styles. At 16, her teacher suggested she compete in the Miss Sing Tao competition, an annual pageant for women of Chinese descent in San Francisco.

Chang won the competition and, as Miss Sing Tao, spent a year performing Chinese dance solos and taking part in community service projects in Chinatown. In 2023, she was crowned the 38th Miss Asian Global at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco.

The daughter of accountants, Chang said she always wanted to pursue business. An internship last summer as a tax intern at Deloitte pointed her further in the business direction.

After graduating, Chang, who is pursuing a minor in public policy, is considering a career in corporate finance and perhaps corporate philanthropy.

Next year, Chang will crown a Miss California USA successor. But for now, she said is happy to be back on campus and excited to use what she’s learn from pageantry to contribute to the Haas community.

“Pageantry has pushed me to get out of my comfort zone and speak up,” she said. “I used to hate public speaking, but it’s pushed me to be more outspoken in class and to participate in more discussions and work with my peers and collaborate better. It’s definitely something that’s going to follow me for life.”