Nina West

Andrew Levitt, also known as Nina West is an American drag queen, best known for appearing on season 11 of the hit reality competition show, Rupaul’s Drag Race – where she placed sixth and won Miss Congeniality. Nina stole viewers’ hearts with constant kindness and quit wit. Her ability to produce outfits and concepts with a political agenda blew judges and the rest of the world away as viewers were stunned by such glamour. Since the show, she has been able to raise awareness for issues close to her heart.

West has perfected her craft as she has been dabbling in the art of drag since 2001. West is living proof that perseverance is key as she auditioned for the show for eight years before being successful. It’s safe to say the timing was absolutely right. In the “Snatch Game” challenge, she became the first queen in the show’s history to impersonate someone from the actual original game show Match Game, with her impersonation of Jo Anne Worley. Levitt has also worked as a social media strategist for Axis Nightclub and has done social media and marketing for Union Cafe since 2013.

Nina is the definition of there’s more that meets the eye. The Nina West Fund was established at The Columbus Foundation in 2015 and is said to be the only “drag-queen-supported fund of its kind” in America. The charity raised over $2 million supporting charities such as the ACLU of Ohio for fundamental rights, Dress for Success Columbus career development for women, Equitas Health focused on HIV/AIDS treatment, and Kaleidoscope Youth Centre, the largest LGBTQIA youth centre in Ohio. In 2017, West received the Create Columbus Commission Visionary Award from the Columbus City Council and an equality award from the Human Rights Campaign Columbus chapter.