Seven Indian Americans compete for a shot at national competition.
By Raif Karerat
Seven Indian Americans competed in the Miss New Jersey USA and Miss New Jersey Teen USA pageants last weekend.
Vanita Budhan, 22, Nicole Patel, 23, Nihara Chakrala, 24, Somya Sharma, 23, Suchitra Singh, 24, and Chhavi Verg, 18, are the competitors in “Miss New Jersey USA,” while Neha Pasupuleti, 14, will representing Edison in “Miss New Jersey Teen USA.”
The winners of both have yet to be announced, but once they have been correlated they will advance to the national “miss USA” and “Miss Teen USA” pageants, respectively. The winner of the “Miss USA” pageant subsequently progresses to the internationally renowned “Miss Universe” competition.
The pageant weekend consisted of preliminary interviews on Friday, Oct. 16, followed by rehearsals the following day to prepare for the evening’s stage shows. On the final day of the pageant, the contestants rehearsed again and concluded with the final competitions.
In addition to cash prizes, semifinalists, finalists, and the winner of the “Miss New jersey USA” and “Miss New jersey Teen USA” are eligible for a slew of various scholarships from Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo.
The Miss Universe pageant and its ancillary competitions all stem from a local “bathing beauty” competition in Long Beach, Calif. Since then, the homegrown contest has evolved into a sprawling, year-round, international organization.