Sikh American Makes History as First South Asian to Be Crowned National All-American Miss

January 25, 2021

A 23-year-old Sikh American competed against more than 700 other contestants across the country to win the coveted beauty pageant title.

Serene Singh represented Colorado at the “world’s largest pageant” in Orlando, Florida on Nov. 29, 2020, according to Woodmen Edition.

“I woke up realizing my dream of many years is now my reality,” Singh said. “I have so many exciting plans and goals for this year to work on behalf of girls and women across the country amidst a global pandemic and I am 100% prepared to dedicate my whole self to lending my voice to causes that matter most to me.”

Singh made history as the first South Asian to place in the Top 5 of the Miss division. She is also the first contestant from Colorado to win the national title, Pageant Circle reported.

“This crown and banner is a microphone, a platform, and a chance to reach thousands of individuals in order to amplify the work I do and serve in ways that have positive impacts on the lives of others lasting long after my year as a national titleholder,” Singh declared. “The glam and rhinestones are undoubtedly fun, but the work to serve begins now and I am so excited for what is ahead.”

Singh joined her first beauty pageant while she was still a sophomore in high school. She described the experience as “transformational” and noted that the women she competed with exhibited self-confidence and poise.

Singh was the only Sikh student at her school, as well as the only Sikh contestant at many of the pageants she competed in. She initially felt like “a Fruit Loop in a world of Cheerios,” but she later turned that into her strength.

“Now, I know my differences are my superpower,” she said. “My Sikh identity is probably one of the most important aspects of who I am.”

Weeks before her historic win, Singh graduated from Oxford University’s Blavatnik School of Government with a Master in Public Policy. The University of Colorado alumna is also a Rhodes Scholar, Truman Scholar, Fulbright Recipient and a doctoral candidate at the University of Oxford.

In 2017, Singh founded The Serenity Project, a nonprofit that “aims to empower resilient womxn who have persevered through life’s greatest hurdles by challenging unhealthy beauty standards, the rising number of suicide attempts, and the lack of support, tools, and skills survivors receive to grow through trauma they have gone through.”

Feature Image by @nationalamericanmiss (Left), Serene Singh (Right)

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