Non-finalist Miss Georgia Teen USA 2014
A native of Montgomery Village, Layilah Nasser was crowned Miss Maryland USA 2021 on 25 June 2021 and represented Maryland at the Miss USA 2021 pageant in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She has worked in the tech industry for companies like Google and Adobe, and founded “Queen in Tech Connect” which focuses on helping women break into technology.
Layilah grew up in Montgomery Village, Maryland and always had a desire to give back to her community. She has proudly been a member of the Girl Scouts of America since the first grade. With her passion for paying it forward, she has been able to serve as troop leader in two states and in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Growing up, Layilah struggled with bullying for several years before she was able to step out of her comfort zone and take the lead. After winning the first troop presidential election, she served as president for many years. The skills she gained from this experience guided her to other leadership opportunities within Girl Scouts. Layilah served as the spokesperson for Girl Scouts of the Nation’s Capital for a year and was a Public Relations Department intern. She was able to spread the word by speaking at different events, participating in documentaries, and interviews. Layilah was granted the opportunity to serve as a co-emcee at the 100th year anniversary on the National Mall in Washington D.C with 250,000 people from all around the world in attendance.
Upon graduating from Spelman College, she was able to land her first job working at Google as a Recruiting Coordinator then moving into a more diversity focused role. Currently, she works on a team that she helped create which is the first ever Diversity Talent Acquisition team at Adobe. Her successes also include the several companies adopting programs that she developed globally from community services organization to career readiness program for underrepresented talent. She proudly shares that she provided over 1,000 opportunities from internships, apprenticeships and full time jobs to underrepresented talent over the course of her entire career.
Her passion spans from beyond her 9-5 duties as the founder of “ Queen in Tech Connect” which focuses on helping women break into technology. As Miss Maryland USA, she has plans to use her program to continue to provide resources through on hand experiences and skill building workshops throughout the entire state. Layilah also plans to expand her scholarship program to continue to encourage women to look within through the essay of the application process. To date, she has provided over $2,000 in scholarships to young ladies nationwide! Layilah believes that nothing can be accomplished with true confidence in oneself which is why she’s so dedicated to pouring into other women!
Layilah is a travel enthusiast. She has traveled to over 25 countries starting in Morocco, Africa. Her favorite countries visited include Iceland, Turkey, Spain and Cuba. She went on a mission to Haiti with Give Hope Global to not only support an orphanage. She also was able to teach a lesson of respect and kindness. That same year, she started a fundraiser with one of her friends in order to raise money for hearing aids in the kids at the orphanage. Layilah also enjoys volunteering with other organizations such as the Ronald Mcdonald House, Community outreach programs and other women empowerment groups!
The on-stage moments, the tension of the final two and the glory of the crowning, here are Layilah’s state pageant photos.
Lights, camera, action! Professional photoshoots are one of the perks that comes from winning a title.
All beautiful things must come to an end, no matter how bittersweet. See Layilah’s farewell walk and other candids from the weekend she crowned her successor Caleigh Shade as Miss Maryland USA 2022.
Winning a state title is a sisterhood for life. Here are Layilah’s “after the crown” photos.
