Cranston's Miss RI Finishes as Second Runner Up at Miss USA Pageant

Anea Garcia came so close to delivering Rhode Island and her hometown of Cranston yet another Miss USA crown.

Instead, Garcia, who grew up in Cranston, will have to settle for second runner-up.

Still, it’s a great showing for the 20-year-old who was adopted by her grandmother and said she is fortunate to have attended private school since the sixth grade.

A second-semester sophomore at Roger Williams University, Garcia is majoring in legal studies and philosophy and hopes to become a criminal defense lawyer in the future.

Garcia made her way to the top 10 and then the top 5 after dazzling in the swimsuit and evening gown competitions.

In the question portion, she was asked whether political correctness was good or bad for the country. Her response was not quite clear and it seemed as if she was confused or nervous. She did, however, name Catherine McAuley, founder of Sisters of Mercy school -- her high school -- as a woman she’d like to see first on the $10 bill.

Garcia told the country that she was adopted because her mother had been assaulted at 13, became pregnant and “a child can’t raise a child.”

She even had to live out of a car in earlier times.

Garcia can feel proud for getting so close to taking home the Miss USA crown and it’s clear that residents in her hometown are proud.

The last major winner from Rhode Island was Olivia Culpo, who became Miss USA and later won the Miss Universe pageant.