Aida Wong was crowned Miss Asia at the ninth annual Miss Asia Pageant Thursday in the Holmes Student Center’s Carl Sandburg auditorium.

Kezia Orofeo was the first runnerup and Nikha Phengsavath was the second runnerup in the pageant, which was hosted by Alpha Phi Gamma.

“I can’t describe the feeling,” said Wong, a junior biology major. “I’m just getting to know people in the Asian community. I’m a transfer and I just got here, so this is unbelievable.”

There were four judges for the pageant, one of whom was Eric Weldy, vice president for Student Affairs & Enrollment Management.

“We were looking for someone who is confident and really focused on how they can contribute to the university in a big way,” Weldy said.

The contestants were judged on categories like cultural wear, formal wear, presentation, a question and answer segment and talent.

The pageant featured performances from its attendees: Students played instruments, sang, recited a spoken-word piece, and there was even a beat boxing and rapping performance by Phengsavath.

“My favorite part was the talent portion because each contestant showed their individuality,” said alumna Anjelica Ofiana.

For the talent portion, Wong did her own version of a song from the Broadway musical, “Chicago.” This was her first time doing any type of musical performing.

“I love the musical Chicago so I just slapped it together,” Wong said.

The qualifications to enter the pageant were a 2.5 GPA, enrollment at NIU and being an Asian American woman.

“I entered the contest for a chance to show my individuality to people in the Asian community,” Wong said.

Wong was ecstatic to win and looks forward to the next year of being Miss Asia.

“It means so much. It means a chance to connect with the community as well as other communities of cultural diversity,” Wong said.