Miss America 2014 Nina Davuluri will speak at Syracuse University in April to commemorate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Davuluri, a native of nearby Fayetteville, New York, will give a lecture titled, “Celebrating Diversity through Cultural Competency.” She was the first Indian-American crowned Miss New York, and eventually became the first Miss America of Indian heritage.

The event, hosted by the Office of Multicultural Affairs, will be April 14 at 7 p.m. in the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium in Newhouse III. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Huey Hsiao, associate director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, said the university reached out to Davuluri and her agent in the fall about bringing her to campus as a keynote speaker for this semester. Hsiao added that he thinks those who attend can learn from Davuluri since she is someone who transcended boundaries becoming the first Indian-American woman to be crowned Miss America.