Miss D.C. USA is the Miss USA winner for the second year in a row, but it's not without controversy.

Kara McCullough, a 25-year-old scientist working for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, was crowned Miss USA 2017 on Sunday by 2016 winner DeShauna Barber, also of the District of Columbia, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. McCullough will go on to represent America in the Miss Universe contest.

"I'm extremely thankful for this opportunity," McCullough told reporters after the event. "I just want to encourage so many women nationwide to find their passion in any subject possible and understand that nothing is difficult if you really, truly put the work in for it."

McCarthy was one of 51 contestants, representing each state and the nation's capital, in the 66th annual Miss USA pageant. Miss New Jersey USA Chhavi Verg, a marketing and Spanish student at Rutgers University, was the first runner-up and Miss Minnesota USA Meridith Gould, who is studying apparel retail merchandising at the University of Minnesota, was second runner-up.

Miss New York USA Hannah Lopa, a native of Spencerport near Rochester, finished in the top 10.

Miss Illinois USA Whitney Wandland, Miss South Carolina USA Megan Gordon, Miss Alaska USA Alyssa London, Miss Tennessee USA Allee-Sutton Hethcoat, Miss California USA India Williams and Miss Missouri USA Bayleigh Danton rounded out the ten finalists.

Barber, the first-ever military member to win Miss USA, was proud to pass on the title to McCullough.

McCullough, who was born in Italy and raised in Virginia Beach, said she wants to inspire children to pursue careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. She graduated with a chemistry degree from South Carolina State University, where she was a member of the Honors College, the American Association of Blacks in Engineering and the Alpha Nu Sigma Honor Society; she also funds program encouraging Science Exploration for Kids.

However, McCullough's win was criticized on social media after her controversial comments about health care and feminism. She called affordable health care a "privilege" for U.S. citizens, not a right.

"As a government employee, I'm granted health care and I see firsthand that for one to have health care, you need to have jobs," McCullough said during the question-and-answer round for the top five finalists.

The remark ignited political divides over President Donald Trump and the Republican Party's efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Trump previously co-owned the Miss Universe Organization, which operates the Miss USA pageant.

D.C. girl I was rooting for you but that answer on healthcare was bad 😕 #MissUSA — po wičata gail 🦝 (@raccorns) May 15, 2017

So unemployed people don't deserve healthcare? Yikes DC #MissUSA — hendery nation (@sciattas) May 15, 2017

YAS Miss DC, you go girl. One of my favorite questions regarding healthcare and I couldn't have answered it better myself! #MissUSA — Tianna Vanderhei (@TiannaVanderhei) May 15, 2017

When the competition was narrowed down to the final three -- McCullough, Verg and Gould -- McCullough came further under fire for suggesting feminism meant women are better than men.

"I don't want to call myself a feminist," she said. "Women, we are just as equal as men, especially in the workplace."

Verg, who finished in second place, said "I think it's a misconception when people believe that feminism is women being better than men. But it's really not. It's a fight for equality."

DC IS CANCELLED THATS NOT WHAT FEMINISM IS.IT IS EQUALISM #MissUSA — Jenera (@effulgentkordei) May 15, 2017

However, McCullough expanded her views on feminism after the pageant.

"I believe we've come a long way and there is more work to be done," McCullough told the Associated Press. "I think domestically we are making progress and I do believe that we will become equal one day."

The rest of the show was much less dramatic. Julianne Hough, Ashley Graham and Terrence J. hosted the NBC telecast, which featured performances by Pitbull, Brett Eldredge and Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson "ONE."