Miss America Kira Kazantsev has received flak over an issue claiming that she was removed from her college sorority because of hazing.
The crowned Miss America answered the allegations thrown at her first via a post on her personal blog.
In her post titled "The Reality of Miss America," Kazantsev addressed the issue, saying: "What type of role model would I be if I told people, young women especially, that you can't make mistakes?"
She then explained that she was removed from the sorority because of a statement that was meant to be a joke.
"When I was a senior ... I was asked by a new member educator at the time to send an email to alumni asking them to attend an event," Kazantsev explained. "In the email, I joked that we could make the evening scary for the pledges. That statement was a joke ... But this is when I learned a very important communications lesson that will stick with me for life."
"The email was forwarded by someone to the national organization ... the national office summoned me for a judiciary hearing ... Based on the fact that I did not attend this hearing that was the official reason given for my termination," she continued.
Kazantsev maintained that she was never involved in "dirty hazing," saying: "I was never involved with any name-calling or use of profanity toward a girl during my time with the sorority. I was never involved in any physical hazing or any degradation of physical appearance of any kind."
Meanwhile, in an appearance at the "Today" show on Tuesday morning, Kazantsev further explained the reason behind her removal from the sorority she joined at Hofstra University, where she graduated with a triple major in geography, political science and global studies.
"I was involved with some of those activities while I was at Hofstra and I came in as an impressionable freshman," she said in the interview. "I was hazed and I was kind of brought up through the organization thinking that that's appropriate behavior when clearly, I'm two years removed from the organization today and I understand that that's just not true."
Jezebel broke the story about Kazantsev, citing information given by a source who did not want to be named.
Amidst the contoversy surrounding Kazantsev, the Miss America Organization maintained that she "is an exceptional ambassador" for the organization, and that they are "excited to be part of her journey as a force for good across our nation, promoting education and service and working to empower young women."
