The organization of National All- American Miss hosted the grand coronation for National All-American Miss 2020/21 over the weekend of 5th-6th December 2020 in Orlando, Florida where Serene Singh who represented Colorado was crowned as the winner at the end of the event finale and created a history as she is the first South Asian beauty to win the title and the first contestant from Colorado to win the national title.
Serene is 23-years-old and Sikh American who competed against more than 700 other contestants across the country to win the coveted beauty pageant title feels grateful and honoured that finally her dreams of seven years have come true and she is able to live through it. She mentioned, “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.”
The diva explains that for her the crown and the sash is a microphone; a platform and a chance to reach thousands of individuals in order to amplify the work she does and serve in ways that have positive impact on the society even after her reign ends. “The glam and rhinestones are undoubtedly fun, but the work to serve begins now and I am so excited for what is ahead,” she added. She thanked everyone who contributed to her journey on her social media where she wrote, “I am immensely grateful to all those in my community who helped me reach this point in life – it truly takes a village, and I am lucky beyond words for mine.”
Serene is a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford pursuing a Doctoral degree in Criminology and has also already completed her postgraduate studies in Public Policy as the youngest student in her global class of 100+ individuals. She plans to advance her passion for public service to one day serve on the United States Supreme Court. She is the founder of ‘Hello South Asians’ to connect South Asians globally, the National Sikh Youth Program; an organization created to invest and mentor young Sikh Americans, Oxford Bhangra Society (Punjabi Indian folk dance), and the Rhodes Interfaith Alliance, she cares deeply about challenging stereotypes, fighting against injustice, and promoting diversity.
She joined her first beauty pageant while she was still a sophomore in high school and describes the experience as “transformational” and noted that the women she competed with exhibited self-confidence and poise. With her dedication to make a space in the society and empower women, lead her to create ‘The Serenity Project’ non-profit organization to give confidence and self-love tools to at-risk women, work for Mrs. Obama and the Girls Opportunity Alliance to improve girls’ education, win Victoria Secret’s GRL PWR campaign, and serve as a Dalai Lama Fellow, Global Changemaker, and Clinton Global Initiative Scholar.
The diva who is proud of her identity, roots, and heritage feels that girls should start accepting themselves and as a society we all should normalize the concept as well as it will give them the power to understand that they are accepted as they are. She mentioned, “My Sikh identity is probably one of the most important aspects of who I am. I know girls and women across this country and the globe do not have access to the same opportunities I have had in my life to be where I am today. That very notion is what motivates me to give what I have been given in meaningful and tangible ways constantly in life.”
Serene’s win is not only historic for her or South Asia but it is also inspiring for aspiring divas who feel or are made to feel a certain way because they don’t originally belong to that country. She is surely one of the strongest women to come across to who wants to use the platform given to her in the best way possible and help change society a little and empower the women.