The winner of Miss India USA 2021 is Vaidehi Dongre. She is a 25-year-old graduate from the University of Michigan. Presently, Vaidehi is working as a business development manager.
She recently won the title of Miss India USA 2021. Meanwhile, the first runner up is Arshi Lalani from Georgia and the second runner up is North Carolina’s Mira Kasari.
Vaidehi, who pursues a major in International Studies, says, “I want to leave a positive lasting impact on my community and focus on women’s financial independence and literacy.”
Apart from this, she was also given the title of ‘Miss Talented’. It was because of her exemplary performance of an Indian classical dance form known as Kathak.
“This One Is For My Aai,” asserts Vaidehi Dongre
She captioned her Instagram post as, “Thrilled to be representing the state of Michigan at Miss India USA in July!
The Miss India USA pageants have always provided a platform to empower and encourage women of Indian origin. As a little girl having been born in India and raised in the US, I have always straddled the line between Indian & American culture and values & discovered all the amazing gifts that both have to offer.
Concluding her post, Vaidehi Dongre says, ‘I believe that the Miss India USA platform will give me the confidence & resources to further my goals, and leave a positive lasting impact on my community.
Wish me luck. This one is for my Aai (Mom).’
When she was crowned as the Miss India USA 2021, Vaidehi took to Instagram and expressed her gratitude. Her latest post reads, ‘Humbled and honored to represent Indian immigrants living in the US as the new Miss India USA. This journey has been a whirlwind but at the root of it I have always strived to be a role model for young girls, celebrate my rich South Asian heritage and leave a lasting positive impact on my community.’
She further writes, ‘”Aai and Baba- the values you inculcated in me and Vineet at such a young age have given me strength in times of hardship and light in times of darkness. Making sure that I learned the roots of where I come from: Marathi, Hindi, reading and writing, mythology, culture, food, love, spirituality, all whilst living in the US was no easy feat, thank you.”
The Miss India USA pageant is probably the longest-running Indian pageant event overseas. This year more than 60 contestants from 30 states took part in it. The winners will get a ticket to Mumbai for participating in worldwide pageants.