4RU Miss California USA 2011, 1st runner-up 2010, 4th runner-up 2009, Non-finalist 2008
A native of Potomac, Miss Maryland USA 2012 Nana Meriwether represented Maryland at the Miss USA 2012 pageant in Las Vegas, Nevada where she placed first runner-up to Olivia Culpo. When Olivia won Miss Universe, Nana assumed the Miss USA 2012 title. Inspired by the 8 years of pro bono medical and community work her father and mother did in Southern Africa in the 1980s, Nana co-founded an international nonprofit organization, The Meriwether Foundation, which seks to support and sustain AIDS/HIV orphanages, schools, rural clinics, and community and agricultural projects in Africa.
Miss Maryland USA 2012 Nana Meriwether is an accomplished athlete, student and humanitarian. She grew up in Maryland and attended the prestigious Sidwell Friends School. In high school, she participated in Varsity Volleyball, Basketball and Track and Field. Nana is one of a few Sidwell students to ever earn 12 varsity letters, having played a varsity sport all throughout her high school career. Following Sidwell Friends, Nana attended Duke University where she was a member of the Women’s Volleyball Team. She transferred to UCLA in the winter of 2004 and continued playing volleyball there. By graduation she was a decorated 2 Time All American NCAA athlete, CVU player of the year and managed to break 3 national NCAA Women’s Volleyball records. Nana was the first NCAA women’s volleyball player to simultaneously lead the nation in two statistical categories. She lead her team to an NCAA Final Four appearance in 2006 and following she played professionally in Puerto Rico then trained for the 2008 Olympics in Colorado Springs.
Nana obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a focus on international relations from UCLA. She was constantly recognized on the UCLA Director’s Honor Roll and gained NCAA and Pac-10 All Academic team honors several semesters in a row. Following her undergraduate studies, Nana was admitted as a post graduate student at The University of Southern California where she studied as a post baccalaureate pre-medical student. She is currently applying to medical school looking to gain entrance in the fall of 2012.
Inspired by the 8 years of pro bono medical and community work her father and mother did in Southern Africa in the 1980s, Nana co-founded a 501(c)(3)international nonprofit organization, The Meriwether Foundation. Seeking to support and sustain AIDS/HIV orphanages, schools, rural clinics, and community and agricultural projects, The Meriwether Foundation has grown to operate in 5 countries in Southern Africa ( South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique). Nana is co-founder, director and chairman of The Meriwether Foundation and has spent up to 3 months living in Southern Africa cultivating the many Meriwether Foundation projects present in several remote villages.
The on-stage moments, the tension of the final two and the glory of the crowning, here are Nana’s state pageant photos.
Lights, camera, action! Professional photoshoots are one of the perks that comes from winning a title.
