by brooke thames
Competing in beauty pageants was far from Manya Saaraswat ’19’s mind until her junior year at Bucknell. The biology major was laser-focused on conducting Presidential Fellowship research on seabirds and charting a career path in medicine — a dream inspired by her parents, physicians who immigrated from India when she was 3.
“But after lots of encouragement from a friend,” Saaraswat entered the 2018 Miss New Jersey pageant. “I never expected to win second place or to win Miss New Jersey on my second run a year later,” says the Morganville, N.J., resident.
Even more, she was amazed at the platform pageantry provided to shine light on disparities in global pediatric health, a cause that’s inspired her extensive charity work in India and Zambia.
In fall 2020, Saaraswat returned to the pageant circuit to represent Pennsylvania in the national Miss World America competition, earning second runner-up among 51 contestants. Her persistent and powerful cause: equity in children’s health care worldwide.
Now completing a master’s in health policy and economics at Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences before entering medical school, Saaraswat aims to use her education and amplified voice to be the change she seeks.
Competing in beauty pageants was far from Manya Saaraswat ’19’s mind until her junior year at Bucknell. The biology major was laser-focused on conducting Presidential Fellowship research on seabirds and charting a career path in medicine — a dream inspired by her parents, physicians who immigrated from India when she was 3.
“But after lots of encouragement from a friend,” Saaraswat entered the 2018 Miss New Jersey pageant. “I never expected to win second place or to win Miss New Jersey on my second run a year later,” says the Morganville, N.J., resident.
Even more, she was amazed at the platform pageantry provided to shine light on disparities in global pediatric health, a cause that’s inspired her extensive charity work in India and Zambia.
In fall 2020, Saaraswat returned to the pageant circuit to represent Pennsylvania in the national Miss World America competition, earning second runner-up among 51 contestants. Her persistent and powerful cause: equity in children’s health care worldwide.
Now completing a master’s in health policy and economics at Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences before entering medical school, Saaraswat aims to use her education and amplified voice to be the change she seeks.