Sheena for Miss US Supranational

My name is Sheena Pradhan. I am competing in the Miss US Supranational Pageant in Orlando, FL on June 25, 2015.

I am an aspiring fashion buyer with the eventual goal of working my way up to the executive level at a brand that I love.

I had always wanted to compete in a pageant, but did not begin competing until after I finished college and could support myself on my own at 24 years old.

How I got here:

I was born and raised in an Indian-American household in Princeton, NJ. Fashion and writing are two loves that I have known since I was a kid.

I started college in design school, later switching majors to Nutrition and Food Science when I realized my love for nutrition and fitness during my scholastic athletic involvement. I spent time in college cultivating my love for travel. I travelled to six of the seven continents while in college, all the while writing for my various blogs.

Before graduating from Drexel University with a Bachelors of Science in Nutrition and Food Science in 2011, I started a blog originally called “An Apple is a Girl’s Best Friend.” This blog grew into my nutrition private practice, which today is called Nutritious Balance.

After spending several years in Philadelphia, I found myself lifting up and heading to New York City. It is while living in New York City that I competed in my first pageant, Miss New Jersey USA, followed by my second pageant, Miss New York USA, got my first modeling contract, and am now pursuing my childhood dreams of working as a fashion buyer and becoming an icon in the fashion blogosphere. I spend most of my time these days working as a stylist, writing, blogging, and trying to break into a full-time fashion buying position for a brand that I love.

I love pageants because they have helped me to find my own voice and become a more self assured adult. Today they are helping me to stay focused on my goals and staying true to who I am.

With the Miss US Supranational title, I hope to advocate for diversity in the media. With my experience in the fashion industry as a model and a stylist, I notice that many barriers still exist for people of color when it comes to working in front of the camera. I want America to embrace the diversity within itself. I also want to promote the idea that America is a diverse country in an international space. I want to promote American diversity by competing on the international level at Miss Supranational.