Shree Saini (born January 6, 1996) is an American model and beauty pageant titleholder. She represented the United States at

Miss World 2022 Miss World 2021 was the 70th edition of the Miss World pageant, held at the Coca-Cola Music Hall in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on 16 March 2022. The coronation was originally scheduled to be held on 16 December 2021 at the José Miguel Agrelot Co ...

, reaching first runner-up and winning the Beauty with a Purpose National Ambassadorship. Saini is the first Asian woman to represent the United States at Miss World.

Early life and education

Shree Saini was born on January 6, 1996, in

Punjab, India Punjab () is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. Forming part of the larger Punjab, Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, the state is bordered by the States and union territories of India, Indian states ...

, and has lived in the United States since age 5. She first dreamed of competing for the Miss World title at the age of 5. For the first 12 years of her life, while growing up in

Moses Lake, Washington Moses Lake is a city in Grant County, Washington, United States. The population was 25,146 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Moses Lake is the most populous city in Grant County. The city anchors the Moses Lake Micropolitan area, w ...

, Saini's heartbeat had an average of just 20 beats per minute. Doctors told her she could never dance again but she persisted, and continued training in ballet. Later in life, Saini was involved in a major car crash in Moses Lake that resulted in her suffering from significant facial burns. Saini was advised that her recovery would take a year, but she returned to her classes after just two weeks. Saini attended the University of Washington. She is a trained

ballerina A ballet dancer is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet. They rely on years of extensive training and proper technique to become a part of a professional ballet company. Ballet dancer ...

, and has been accepted to train at the

Joffrey Ballet The Joffrey Ballet is an American dance company and training institution in Chicago, Illinois. The Joffrey regularly performs classical and contemporary ballets during its annual performance season at the Civic Opera House, including its annual ...

Pageantry

Saini, who was listed as both a resident of

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

and

Ellensburg, Washington Ellensburg is a city in and the county seat of Kittitas County, Washington, United States. It is located just east of the Cascade Range near the junction of Interstate 90 in Washington, Interstate 90 and Interstate 82. The population was 18,666 ...

, in 2020, was the 2020 Miss Washington World and America's Beauty with a Purpose National Ambassador, which is a preliminary competition to Miss World America. In October 2019, Saini collapsed at the Miss World America preliminary. In 2020, Saini was awarded the World Peace Messenger award from Passion Vista Magazine. On October 2, 2021, Shree Saini was appointed Miss World America 2021, and crowned by

Diana Hayden Diana Hayden (born 1 May 1973) is an Indian actress, television host, model and the winner of Miss World 1997 pageant. She is the third Indian woman to win the title of Miss World. She also won three sub-titles during the pageant and is the on ...

Miss World 1997 Miss World 1997, the 47th edition of the Miss World pageant, was held on 22 November 1997 at the Plantation Club Seychelles in Baie Lazare, Seychelles. 86 delegates competed for the coveted crown. At the end of the event, India's Diana Hayden ca ...

. She is the first Indian-American and Asian-American woman to hold the Miss World America title. Shree Saini represented the United States of America at

Miss World 2021 Miss World 2021 was the 70th edition of the Miss World pageant, held at the Coca-Cola Music Hall in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on 16 March 2022. The coronation was originally scheduled to be held on 16 December 2021 at the José Miguel Agrelot Co ...

in Puerto Rico. In February 2022, the Washington state legislature passed a resolution recognizing Saini's philanthropic achievements and wishing her success at Miss World.

Miss World 2021

Saini was the first runner up at Miss World 2021, with Karolina Bielawska of

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

the winner. She was also chosen as the 2021 Beauty with a Purpose Ambassador to travel with Bielawska during her reign.

Philanthropy

Saini has volunteered with hundreds of nonprofits including the

USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

Paralyzed Veterans of America The Paralyzed Veterans of America was established in 1946 with the goal of serving the needs of disabled veterans. The organization was created to assist members, such as veterans of the armed forces living with spinal cord injuries or diseases l ...

, Make A Wish,

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

, Victoria's Voice Foundation,

American Heart Association The American Heart Association (AHA) is a nonprofit organization in the United States that funds cardiovascular medical research, educates consumers on healthy living and fosters appropriate Heart, cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability ...

, Children's Right And YOU,

Doctors Without Borders Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded ...

Special Olympics Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in 172 countries. Special Ol ...

, homeless shelters, and several Anti Human Trafficking nonprofits and she has raised more than $200,000 for dozens of 10 nonprofits, including $50,000 for Variety Children's Charity.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saini, Shree Living people American people of Punjabi descent American female models of Indian descent 21st-century American beauty pageant contestants American beauty pageant winners 1996 births People from Ellensburg, Washington People from Seattle People from Moses Lake, Washington Miss World 2021 delegates Indian emigrants to the United States