26 years old beauty, Desiree Williams, was crowned as Miss Virginia USA 2016 on October 11, 2015. Desiree succeeds Miss Virginia USA 2015, Laura Puleo, who was a Top 15 semi-finalist in Miss USA 2015. Delesia Watson was adjudged as first runner-up, Hannah Uhlig was titled as second runner-up, Caelynn Miller-Keyes was declared as third runner-up and Alexis Johnson was announced as fourth runner-up. Completing the semi-finalists spot were, Sidney Durham, Jacqueline Carroll, Veronica Robertson, Lehanna Craft, Destani Huffman, Jamie Hughes, Ashley Vollrath and Alexis Lambert. In the same event, Gracyn Blackmore was crowned as Miss Virginia Teen USA 2016.

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In 2013 Desiree won the Miss Virginia Pageant attaining a whooping scholarship of $17,500. She has also competed at Miss America 2014 pageant at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. She earned her undergraduate degree in Health, Physical Education and Recreation from Hampton University in 2011, and is currently studying at the University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program. She served as Miss Hampton University 2010-2011.

After winning the crown, the beauty queen expressed her joy at Instagram, saying: "Needless to say, I'm more than a little excited!" Desiree Williams initially never intended to participate in a pageant. The Hampton University assistant professor of physical therapy made a half-serious promise to her grandmother during a visit to Hampton's campus while a senior in high school: “If she ended up attending HU, she'd run for homecoming queen” She kept her word, and finally won the pageant. She was crowned as Miss Hampton from 2010-2011. She then won Miss Virginia 2013, going on to compete in that organization's 2014 Miss America pageant. Williams also won Miss Peninsula in 2012.

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On her latest accomplishment, the beauty queen beaming with joy reflected: "I never grew up thinking, 'I'm going to be Miss America' or 'I'm going to be Miss USA. It's just sort of something I stumbled into and I just kept going. ... I never thought in a million years that I'd be Miss Virginia or Miss Virginia USA, or both."

The newly crowned Miss Virginia USA said it was all worth it to get the chance to compete in the Miss Virginia USA pageant and the Miss USA competition, which will be held next summer. She said: "I feel like when I competed at Miss America, all the way up until that point, I had been able to be my authentic self, competing in pageants. But in preparation for Miss America, I kind of felt green. I didn't really know what I was doing, and I listened to a lot of people tell me who I should be and what I should wear and what they were looking for. So I tried to mold myself to meet that image as opposed to being myself. So I think I just regret that I wasn't able to be my authentic self competing at the national level, and I wanted sort of a second chance to prove that me being me is good enough."

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As she reigns for the next year, Williams said she can use her crown to reach and educate others more efficiently than in her everyday life.

"If I want to go ... speak to a group of students, I have to go as part of Career Day and they give me maybe five minutes to speak to a classroom of students. But as Miss Virginia USA, they'll literally have a school-wide assembly where I'll have an hour to hopefully make some impact on the kids. I can truly reach hundreds of kids all at once, sharing my message of goal setting and staying focused on your goals, not letting anything stand in your way and really dreaming larger than you ever could perceive."

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Virginia has been only moderately successful in terms of number of semi-finalists, they have had two Miss USA. They are one of only three states to have had two Miss USA winners in succession, the others being Illinois and Texas. With such an inspirational personality representing Virginia at Miss USA 2016, the success might come handy!