Thai-American beauty trades shot at silver tiara for ivy league

A beauty contestant walked away from a shot at winning a crown last night for something closer to her heart – an advanced degree from one of the world’s top universities.

Hours before the Miss Universe Thailand pageant was set to begin, Perpetua Sermsup Smith, aka Peppy, announced late Tuesday night she was backing out of the tournament to pursue a doctorate in marketing at Harvard University.

The 24-year-old Thai-American’s abrupt departure was announced by pageant director Piyaporn Sankosik, who said that while she found Peppy’s last-minute decision “damaging,” she was “brave in coming forward to pursue her passion.”

Piyaporn said that if Peppy had gone on to become a top 10 finalist, she would have been bound by a contract barring her from other pursuits. 

The dramatic turn was streamed live in a video online, where a tearful Peppy…