Shree Saini crowned Miss India Worldwide 2018; Mandeep Kaur Sandhu is the Mrs. India Worldwide 2018

‘We are proud of the fact that we have been able to imbibe Indian values, tradition and culture among Indian origin youths across the world. We have also been successful in promoting Indian performing arts in the world,’ Saran said.  

Shree Saini, 22, is noted for her many achievements and services to the community as well as her fight against emotional bullying. Saini studied political science at Harvard, business and social entrepreneurship at Stanford, acting at Yale and is now finishing her studies in journalism at University of Washington.

When she was 12 years old, a pacemaker was implanted in her body as her heart was only beating 20 beats per minute. She was told that she would never be able to dance again but she took it as a challenge.

Saini continued to dance despite having a pacemaker, by persisting, developing a growth mindset and practicing six hours on a daily basis for several years. She has been trained in over ten different dance styles and been presented with more than fifty awards, trophies, and certificates at dance competitions. She was also accepted into the world-famous Joffrey Ballet School in New York via online auditions.

“The pacemaker has to be surgically replaced every 10-12 years, without a pacemaker she cannot survive,” her mother Ekta Saini, a businesswoman in Washington State, said. He father Sanjay is also a businessman. She has a 21-year-old brother, Shahrose Saini, who is a business student at New York University.

The health issues have not slowed down the life of the young Shree as she continues to engage in social causes and performing arts while excelling in her studies.

Saini also takes the stage as an actor. She has performed in more than forty statewide theater productions and received excellent remarks at Yale University.

“I love to act. It allows me to think like someone else, see the world through their eyes, their circumstances, their aspirations. This makes me become more compassionate and understanding. Acting is also very challenging, and I love challenges, doing the impossible gives me an adrenalin rush.”

Saini hopes to follow up her undergraduate degree with a graduate degree in business or public administration from hopefully an Ivy League university.

She created her website shreesaini.com with an aim of raising awareness and instilling social change. She is also active on her Instagram page @missindiausa_shreesaini and her Facebook page, where she shares about her nonprofit, her reign and messages.

Saini began her nonprofit at age 15 with a mission to ‘educate, empower and end the cycle of injustice.’

Saini added the Nelson Mandela quote serves as her inspiration, ‘As long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest.’

She has raised more than $156,000 to help combat human trafficking. She also publishes articles daily on local media to highlight strategies for addressing various kinds of bullying.

Saini routinely visits elementary and high schools to speak to kids directly about staying positive and shares her personal struggles she endured throughout high school.

“You never know what family a child comes from, whether it's a broken family or simply not a compassionate environment. The kids need to sit and talk about their experiences. Helping others build their self-esteem is the biggest gift we can give to others.”

Readers have reached out to her upon reading her articles and said they held onto the clippings of her articles. Putting all her thoughts on the website allowed Saini to reach a global audience, she explained.

“Bullying and harassment may not always involve physical attack or direct verbal violence,” she noted. “But they could include spreading hurtful rumors, excessive faultfinding, intentional bitter responses, cold replies to someone’s friendliness and the silent treatment, among many others, according to Saini. It can happen in any household or at work place.”

“In a society that is mainly obsessed with physical fitness, emotional problems are dismissed. Emotional well-being is necessary to have a healthy body and sharp mind,”

When a child struggles at school, many parents rebuke him or her rather than helping him/her. A little more support or extra tuition may improve his/her understanding. Yet, our society sometimes belittles or degrades the children and labels them as dumb, stupid or lazy, which is sad, she noted. Parents should always nurture their kids, no matter what area of their lives they are struggling in.

“I want to lend a hand to the bullies too, may be, they have not been raised with love and joy, because at some point in our lives, all of us can be bullies. As humans, all of us make mistakes, but the blessing is we are given a new chance every single day at every new minute,” she said.

“Education alone doesn’t do anything. When we take action, we are able to make a difference.
True change occurs when many people make small contributions. It’s only by accepting our role as global citizens, we can make a lasting change.”, Saini added.

“We should not waste time and wait for a special someday to make up for the psychological harm and hurt we have caused to that one person,” she said. Bullies should simply apologize and move forward in harmony “A simple hand-written post-it or a text will do wonders to the one who is hurting.”

Not only does the victim need to be treated with care, a bully should be supported because of any unresolved emotional wounds.

She has now expanded her reach with the launching of her YouTube channel. The Shree Saini YouTube page is used to shoot short videos of discussions about social issues, college life, raising awareness of important organizations and human rights, as well as anything to help the community.

But just telling her story wasn’t enough. The young woman wants to be at the forefront of a movement. Saini added she embraces being a global citizen and it’s one of the reasons I choose to compete at Miss India Worldwide.’

During her first few months of reign, Saini has maintained being a full-time college student, while visiting over ten states, two countries, and completing over fifty appearances.

Recently, she was invited to speak by the Secretary of State Kim Wyman at Washington Combined Fund Drive, where over five million dollars were raised for different charities. She was only one of the two speakers invited to give this talk. She was also invited to speak with reigning Miss World from India, Manushi Chhillar, in New York City.

Saini was also invited by the CEO of American Heart Association in Dallas, Texas. Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction too asked her to speak about initiatives to end nonverbal harassment in schools.

Miss India USA was started by New York-based Dharmatma Saran and Neelam Saran, 36 years ago, under the banner of India Festival Committee. Miss India USA is the longest running Indian pageant outside India. Winners of the pageants represent USA at Miss India Worldwide, amongst 50 countries and have gone to have professional careers such as acting in Bollywood movies.

“I feel lucky to be Miss India USA. Thousands of girls start their journey to this title competing in their state title. After winning nationals, my life has completely changed. I have been traveling every weekend and delivering speeches and performing every week. It’s an honor to be your Miss India USA.”

“I am looking forward to make the most positive impact I can during my reign and during my lifetime. I believe success is defined by how much you give. As Indians, we all know about the extreme poverty that people face. We are the lucky few to have basic and many more necessities of life met.”

“We are all created equal. Unfortunately, we are not all given equal opportunities. It is our responsibility to help give equal opportunities. If you would like me to speak, host or be a part of your upcoming events, please email me at [email protected]. I would love to continue the conversation with you.”