Miss Dream Girl Teen USA India
Northview's very own student crowned Miss Teen USA India and heads off to New York Fashion Week
Special, Aditi Narayanan
Anya Surani, Staff Writer
Standing on the darkened stage is none other than Miss Dream Girl Teen USA India, Aditi Narayanan. Her claim to the title began after she caught the eye of a talent scout during one of her dance competitions. While Aditi Narayanan's win in her inaugural beauty pageant is outstanding, it is certainly not unwarranted.
"She's a natural from the beginning, even when she was little, you know, she could never walk straight. She would always walk with a pose," Rajeeva Ramachandran, mother of Aditi Narayanan, said.
Behind the scenes, Aditi Narayanan's preparation is nothing short of thorough. She practices her walk, crafts her speeches, and champions causes such as climate change awareness. Supported by her devoted family, Aditi Narayanan marks her journey with unwavering dedication. Located in Aditi Narayanan's bedroom, a master whiteboard allocates time slots dedicated to pageant practice and school work, allowing for the best use of her time and effectively managing her commitments. She also frequently brings her work to practices, finds a nice quiet corner, and works throughout some of these practices, stretching into early morning, such as 1 or 2 a.m. When she is not focused on finishing her school work, Aditi Narayanan practices her walk every day and pays attention to even the most minor pageant details, such as perfecting her soft smile. However, as Aditi Narayanan stands before the crowd, pageants are much more than simply beauty and grace.
"It's not only about your looks, of course. I feel like that's a common misconception," Aditi Narayanan said.
The competition consists of three divisions that judges score and take into account when crowning the winner: talent, Q&A, and the walk. The talent portion requires the participants to showcase their strengths; for Aditi Narayanan, it is dance, specifically Bharatanatyam. In the question and answers section, judges ask participants what they want to change in the world and what they hope to accomplish. Lastly is the walk; there are two styles of pageant walk, Western and Indian. This is quite difficult as it requires choreography and style. Even within the practice with one instructor and numerous girls, practice time is limited, resulting in Aditi Narayanan practicing at home. An important aspect to highlight about the pageant is Aditi Narayanan's passion for raising awareness about environmental issues and educating her community on the detrimental effects of global warming.
"I think it's important because a lot of global warming is caused by humans and what we're doing to our world, and if I'm able to spread that within our community, then we'll be able to help change that," Aditi Narayanan said.
Aditi Narayanan is not alone in her journey; she has the steadfast support of her family. Her mother, Ramachandran; her brother, Aditya Narayanan; and her father, cheering her on from the sidelines. Her mother took Aditi Narayanan to all her practices, rehearsals, and the choreography of her walk. Her brother was of no lesser help as he, too, often showed moral support, making sure she was always prepared and offered tips on what to present in front of the audience. Throughout this journey, aided by her family, Aditi Narayanan saw growth in her life; she gained the ability to think on her feet and bounce back from troublesome scenarios, especially when it comes to wardrobe malfunctions and errors behind the curtains.
"No one can ever be 100% done. So you have to be prepared to take off from and run with it. You can see that being implemented very efficiently as the performance is totally out of our control," Ramachandran said. “So she is always on the job and fixes it for herself.”
Aditi Narayanan's first pageant concluded with her winning the title of Miss Dream Girl Teen USA India. She was awarded a $10,000 scholarship and the opportunity to model for Dream Girl Entertainment during New York Fashion Week. Aditi Narayanan plans on continuing pageants accompanied by the support of her family and hopes to be a positive role model to all across the board while raising awareness about climate change.
"She was just having fun and ended up getting this amazing scholarship. Everyone lit up when she came home with a big check, and that was a lot of fun, and that was definitely memorable," Aditya Narayanan said.
