1st runner-up 2018
Manya Saaraswat was crowned Miss New Jersey USA 2019 on 18 November 2018 and represented New Jersey at the Miss USA 2019 pageant in Reno, Nevada. Manya was born in India and moved to the United States when she was three. She has lived in New Jersey for 11 years and considers it home. Manya was student at Bucknell University during her reign, where she received the Presidential Fellowship, the highest merit scholarship allotted to an incoming freshman.
Miss New Jersey USA 2019 Manya Saaraswat is a 21-year-old from Marlboro, New Jersey. She was born in India but moved to the USA when she was 3 years old. She has moved 7 times and has lived in many states including New York, Florida, and Connecticut. However, she has been residing in New Jersey for the last 11 years and she says that “there’s no other place like New Jersey; it’s home.”
Manya graduated from Marlboro High School in 2015. Growing up, Manya explored her love for the arts. She was a competitive dancer since the age of 2 and took home many 1st place awards in both group and solo performances. Manya also enjoyed acting, appearing in many plays, including off-broadway productions. She even traveled with a theatre group in New York City.
Currently, Manya is a senior at Bucknell University. She will graduate in 2019 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology. Manya is very much involved on campus both academically and athletically. Manya received the Presidential Fellowship, the highest merit scholarship allotted to an incoming freshman. This fellowship grants her the opportunity to perform paid biology research throughout her undergraduate career, and helps her further her educational experience. Additionally, she was recommended to be a study group facilitator and tutor for the Bucknell’s Teaching and Learning Center. Manya takes pride in tutoring her peers in various subjects including biology, organic chemistry, statistics, and calculus. Furthermore, Manya is the captain of Bucknell’s Division I Co-ed Cheerleading team. She has been cheering for Bucknell for all 4 years and even had the opportunity to perform at NCAA’s March Madness.
Manya hopes to become a pediatric surgeon. Medicine has been her passion since her childhood. At just 14 years old, Manya began volunteering at hospitals. Ever since, she has extensively volunteered and shadowed with physicians at multiple hospitals worldwide. Manya was privileged with a stem-cell externship at Harvard University and was able to shadow physicians conducting research at Massachusetts General Hospital. However, one of her favorite experiences was when she did a Surgical Observership at Apex Hospitals in India where she witnessed plastic and reconstructive surgery procedures that were sponsored by SmileTrain. Manya’s love for pediatrics continued to grow after she had the opportunity to work with a neonatal intensive care unit learning how to care for infants. She also enjoys partaking in medical research. Aside from her on campus research, Manya has done research in fields such as Integrative Medicine and Gastroenterology. Additionally, she was able to research tropical ecology and marine wild-life by scuba-diving while studying abroad in Indonesia. She also conducted genetic research in twins at the Netherlands Twin Registry in Amsterdam. She is proud to already have 3 of her research papers published in reputed medical journals.
The on-stage moments, the tension of the final two and the glory of the crowning, here are Manya’s state pageant photos.
Lights, camera, action! Professional photoshoots are one of the perks that comes from winning a title.
There’s nothing better than watching a contestant progress from year to year! Here’s a look back at Manya’s previous pageant photos.
All beautiful things must come to an end, no matter how bittersweet. See Manya’s farewell walk and other candids from the weekend she crowned her successor Gina Mellish as Miss New Jersey USA 2020.
Winning a state title is a sisterhood for life. Here are Manya’s “after the crown” photos.
