I was 10 years old watching TV with my mom one night, and Miss USA came on. I watched the entire pageant, intrigued with what this was and what it meant. At the end of the show, I looked at these women in awe. Yes, they were beautiful, but they were so much more. They had a true desire to change the world, and Miss USA was their platform. 

I sat in my living room thinking “that could never be me.”  Because while I looked up to them all, I didn’t truly see myself having the confidence to do what they had done. It seemed all too surreal to be crowned or to have people listen to what you had to say. Years went by, and that all changed. 

July 2015 

I was a freshman in high school, volunteering at the Liberty Science Center right outside of New York City. A few girls had watched the Miss Universe pageant the night before and mentioned that I should try to compete for Miss NJ Teen USA, which was a preliminary competition to go to Miss Teen USA. (A little bit of background: The Miss Universe Organization, formerly owned by Donald Trump, owns Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, and Miss Universe. I was at the age for the Teen division and lived in NJ). I thought about it, but brushed it off because I didn’t think that I was beautiful enough or confident enough to compete with the stereotypical “pageant girl”. Nonetheless, my mom and I talked about it and I decided to go for it; I knew that this could be a way to gain the confidence that I had always wanted. 

September 2015 

When I walked into orientation one month before pageant weekend, I felt out of place. The email for orientation dress code had said “dress comfortably”, so I walked in with brandy sweats and a crop top while the other girls had the most gorgeous outfits, put-together head-to-toe. I immediately felt intimidated, but was excited. I sensed tension between some contestants who had been working all year for this, but I started to feel more and more confident as the day continued.

October 2015 

Flash forward a month: Pageant weekend was here. I woke up with jitters, knowing that my interview was that evening. I got hair and makeup ready, and went to the hotel for my interview. I walked out feeling empowered by who I was and what I stood for; girls were cheering each other on. It was nothing like the “Toddlers and Tiaras” experience that I had imagined. That weekend, I didn’t walk home with the crown, but I met the most amazing girls and placed in the top 15! After the show, I ran to my mom and dad and said, “I’m going to do this again!” Little did I know, I would compete and place top 15 for the title of Miss NJ Teen USA three times and still never take the crown, but my journey wasn’t over yet.  

March 2020 

I was ecstatic to see that I had gotten into Boston College in the spring of my senior year of high school. I had thought that competing for Miss NJ Teen USA in the fall would be my last pageant, but I decided to go for a new chapter: Miss Massachusetts Teen USA. Because I was a student at BC, I was eligible to compete in Massachusetts. It was a new state, new opportunity, and new experience.  I couldn’t wait. Come fall, I spent my days going to class and meeting new freshmen around campus and my nights going to the gym prepping for the fitness competition. I practiced my runway walk in my Duchesne East hallway and made sure to eat healthy. I prepped and felt ready. 

January 2020 

The weekend going into my second semester at BC was also pageant weekend. I felt nervous, but very confident in who I was. I thought about how much I had changed from the first time I competed in New Jersey as a 15-year-old to now, the current moment where I was going for a 4-year long dream: to go to Miss Teen USA. I walked out of my interview feeling the best I had felt and knew I shared my values and personality with the judges. The preliminary competition was that Saturday night, and I was so excited to see my mom and best friends from BC supporting me. I spent all night talking to my pageant roommate.  I was so excited for the next day. We spent it in rehearsals, practicing our walks, and getting to know the other contestants. It was surreal knowing that I would age out after this year and no longer be able to compete for this title, but I was still so happy and excited. 

As I stepped on stage on Sunday night for the finals competition, I couldn’t help but feel grateful for the journey that I was on and the people that supported me during my path towards confidence. As the girls lined up on stage, they announced that I was Miss Congeniality and I was called into the top 15. I competed in evening gown and activewear, and soon lined up for the top 5 announcement. My heart was racing, as I had never made it past the top 15 before. 

And the next name I’m about to call is… contestant #52, Annika Sharma! 

I had just been called into the top 5, an accomplishment I had never achieved until then. I answered a final question and did a final walk before the judges would decide who in the final 5 would represent Massachusetts at the Miss Teen USA competition. 

4th runner up, 3rd runner up, 2nd runner up… 

I was in the top 2. I held hands with the other finalist, who had been one of my best friends that weekend. We laughed about how amazing it was to stand up there together, as they were about to announce the winner. 

The winner of Miss Massachusetts Teen USA 2020 is… Annika Sharma! 

I couldn’t believe it. I gave her a hug and began to tear up. This wasn’t just a pageant for me… this was a part of my journey toward believing in myself and self-acceptance. I was going to Miss Teen USA as the first Indian-American titleholder from Massachusetts, a dream I held for so long. My year has been filled with trips to places across the country, designing my custom Miss Teen USA gown with Sherri Hill, photoshoots, philanthropy, and making friends for life. As I prepare for Miss Teen USA during this quarantine, I always remember that your dreams should never be shut down just because they are temporarily unimaginable. If I hadn’t gone for it, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Aim for your goals, and you will learn so much on the way. 

XOXO