Shree Saini (activist)
Shree Saini is a beauty pageant queen and motivational speaker who has overcome having a heart pacemaker and suffering facial burns from a car accident.[4][5]
Shree Saini | |
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Saini in 2019, as Miss India Worldwide 2018 | |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | University of Washington |
Occupation | Activist, motivational speaker, Modal |
Awards | Miss India USA[1] (2017-2018) Miss India Worldwide[2] (2018-2019) Miss World America 2019[3] (contestant) |
Website | www.shreesaini.org |
Early life
Shree Saini was born on 6 January 1995 in Punjab, India.[4][6] For the first 12 years of her life Saini’s heartbeat had an average of just 20 beats per minute.[7] Doctors told her she could never dance again but she persisted and practiced extra hours for years so she could dance again.[8][9]
Later in life Saini was involved in a major car accident that resulted in her suffering from significant facial burns.[10][11]
Advocacy
To advocate for mental health, Shree officially started her non-profit organisation shreesaini.org at age 15.[12] She has written thousands of articles on emotional well-being and given over hundreds of speeches. Being a heart patient, she volunteers her time and works with American Heart Association.[13] According to her, these two incidents have led her to dedicate much of her time to talking publicly about heart health and emotional health.[10]
Education
Shree studied non-profit management at Harvard University, studied acting at Yale School of Drama, and studied Social Entrepreneurship at Stanford University and Journalism at University of Washington.[14] She is a trained ballerina, and has been accepted to train at Joffrey Ballet.[15][16]
Pageantry
Saini is the current Miss Washington World, which is a preliminary competition to Miss World America and Miss World. In October 2019, Saini collapsed at the Miss World America preliminary.[4] In 2020 she was a ‘World Peace Messenger’ award recipient from Passion Vista.[17]
Miss World
Miss World America 2019 On 12 October 2019, Shree Saini won the following special awards:[18]
- Beauty with a Purpose Winner
- People’s Choice Winner
- Top Influencers Winner
- Entrepreneurs Challenge Winner
- Talent 1st Runner Up
- Top Model 1st Runner Up
References
- "Shree Saini from USA crowned Miss India Worldwide 2018". The Pioneer.
- "UW student Shree Saini wins Miss India Worldwide 2018". Northwest Asian Weekly. 7 January 2019.
- "Indian-American model Shree Saini selected for Miss World America Pageant 2019".
- "Indian American model Shree Saini collapses before Miss World America final night". Times Now.
- "21-year-old Shree Saini crowned Miss India USA 2017". The Economic Times. 18 December 2017.
- "Indian American Student and Anti-bullying Activist Shree Saini Crowned 'Miss India Worldwide 2018'". Indiawest.com.
- "Powered by a pacemaker, Miss India USA seeks to dance her way to Miss India World". The Universal News Network. 25 July 2018.
- "Shree Saini from Washington has been crowned Miss India USA 2017". India Today.
- "Indian-American Beauty Queen Shree Saini Raises Funds For Drug Awareness". Darpan Magazine.
- "Got cured, helping others cure". The Tribune (Chandigarh).
- "Miss India USA Shree Saini Collapses a Night Before Miss World America Finale, Mother Asks For Prayers". India.com. 15 October 2019.
- "വേൾഡ് പീസ് അവാർഡ് ശ്രീ സെയ്നിക്ക്". Malayala Manorama (in Malayalam).
- Ghosh, Ajay (10 September 2018). "Miss India USA: Shree Saini – A life story of inspiration, dedication, determination, ambition, and courage". The Universal News Network.
- "Indian American contestant Shree Saini collapses before Miss World America final". The New Indian Express.
- Dutt, Ela. "Indian-American small-town girl takes on bullying, inequality as Miss India Worldwide". News India Times.
- "Indian American Woman Wins Miss India Worldwide 2018". NextShark. 17 December 2018.
- Shree Saini bags ‘World Peace Messenger’ award, Asianlite Newsdesk - February 1, 2020.
- Miss World America 2019.