Zimbabwean-Born Savena Mushinge Competes In 2023 Miss USA Contest
One of the commercial real estate industry’s own made a run at a national title last month in hopes of walking away with the title of Miss USA.
Savena Mushinge, a transaction manager for JLL in Washington, D.C., and the reigning Miss Maryland USA was one of the 20 finalists in the beauty contest that brought 51 representatives to the pageant on Sept. 29 at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada. Mushinge, who manages leases for U.S. Postal Service facilities, was crowned Miss Maryland USA in April after a competition that brought over 100 contestants from throughout the state.
With only about a year of pageant experience, Mushinge said she was surprised she won the Miss Maryland competition. She said she was grateful to represent her state leading up to the Miss USA pageant. In vying for the title, the first-generation Zambian American said she hoped to bring more awareness to the advantages of adding diversity to the commercial real estate industry.
Savena Mushinge was crowned Miss Maryland USA in April, beating out over 100 contestants from throughout the state. (Savena Mushinge)
“This is a male-dominated industry, and I think we need more people my age, specifically women, which can bring more diversity to the industry,” the 26-year-old real estate executive told CoStar News. “When I was first applying to jobs, JLL reached out to me and said, ‘You belong with JLL,’ and that was a lottery ticket to me. It’s a household name. They have supported my dreams outside the workplace, which is important.”
For Mushinge, she said having the full support of her employer as she competed for the Miss USA title was critical. With the help of her teammates, she was able to work until the beginning of the pageant. If she had been crowned Miss USA, the real estate services firm had already committed to finding a way to bring her back to JLL after the reign.
“They told me, ‘Some things are bigger than JLL and these are things we have to support,’ and I really appreciated it,” she said. “This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and a time to serve. Once I take the crown off, I’ll be looking to more advocacy or figure out a way to couple real estate and philanthropy.”
Before Mushinge was a real estate executive or an advocate for children suffering from critical illnesses and families in disadvantaged communities, she was the first female president of her real estate club at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The club started with about 25 members when she took on her leadership role and then grew to nearly 300 members.
Mushinge has a knack for opening doors for herself and others, with an appreciation for scholarships and student-loan opportunities not available in Zimbabwe, the country where she was born. She moved to the United States with her family when she was 13, with the hope of getting a better education.
“I was fortunate to have an education in Zimbabwe, but it was a third-world education,” Mushinge told CoStar News. “I had to perfect my writing and oral speaking capabilities needed to pass the citizenship exam, and I have a deep appreciation for school being paid for through 12th grade [in the U.S.]. This is not available from where I’m from.”
Mushinge’s journey through the pageant came to an end when Miss Utah USA Noelia Voigt was crowned Miss USA 2023. Savannah Gankiewicz of Hawaii was named as the first runner-up. But Mushinge said she’s better for the experience.
“Real estate is a relationship business, which is the same with competing in hopes of representing an entire state,” she added. “In working at JLL, it has put me in a position to communicate with people and has put me in a position of power, which is not something all young women have access to.” Costar
