Mai Therese Shanley Miss New Mexico USA

Miss New Mexico USA

For the state pageant affiliated with Miss America, see Miss New MexicoThe Miss New Mexico USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of New Mexico in the Miss USA pageant....

, Miss USA

Miss USA

The Miss USA beauty contest has been held annually since 1952 to select the United States entrant in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operates both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA...

 1984, is a former beauty queen. Her mother is ethnically Taiwanese

Taiwanese people

Taiwanese people may refer to individuals who either claim or are imputed cultural identity focused on the island of Taiwan and/or Taiwan Area which have been governed by the Republic of China since 1945...

 and is from Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

, while her father is Irish American

Irish American

Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...

.
Shanley's first pageant experience came when she represented New Mexico

New Mexico

New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...

 in the Miss America

Miss America

The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...

 pageant in 1983. She did not place in that pageant.

Later, Shanley became the first Eurasian

Eurasian (mixed ancestry)

The word Eurasian refers to people of mixed Asian and European ancestry. It was originally coined in 19th-century British India to refer to Anglo-Indians of mixed British and Indian descent....

 delegate to win Miss USA

Miss USA

The Miss USA beauty contest has been held annually since 1952 to select the United States entrant in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operates both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA...

. She was 21 at the time she was crowned the 33rd Winner at the pageant held in Lakeland, Florida

Lakeland, Florida

Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, located approximately midway between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4. According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city had a population of 94,406...

, on May 17, 1984. She also edged out two former Miss America state titleholders in the top five, Kelly Anderson (Miss West Virginia

Miss West Virginia

The Miss West Virginia competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of West Virginia in the Miss America pageant.- Winners :- External links :*...

 1982) and Desiree Denise Daniels (Miss Tennessee

Miss Tennessee

The Miss Tennessee competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Tennessee in the Miss America pageant.-History:...

 1982), who placed second and third, respectively.(19 May 1984). Miss USA Still Pinching Herself, Lakeland Ledger

Shanley went on to compete at the Miss Universe Pageant in Miami, FL in July 1984, where she was a semi-finalist.