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The next contestant to be featured in our series, “The Road to Miss America,” is Miss Rhode Island, Shruti Nagarajan.

Age: 24

Hometown: Tamuning, Guam

Platform Issue: Upward Mobility: College Access for Low-Income and Minority Students

Talent: Bollywood Fusion Dance

Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Public Policy and Education History from Brown University

Scholastic Ambition: Design and establish venture capital firm focused on social impact

Scholastic Honors: Awarded full scholarship to Brown University

Someone who inspires me: Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani activist advocating for female education and the youngest-ever Noble Prize winner. Her fight for a woman’s right to an education in the Middle East is inspiring. My platform focuses on making higher education accessible for everyone and I also hope to make a significant impact in this area.

My Proud Accomplishment: I was awarded the Bronze Presidential Award for Public Service for my work assisting underprivileged students with financial literacy knowledge.

I was born and raised on the island of Guam and dreamed of attending an Ivy League school. I was very fortunate to be accepted to Brown University, where I graduated with a degree in Public Policy and Education History. For the past two years since graduating, I have been working in the field of financial services. As this year was my final year of eligibility to compete for Miss America, I decided it was time to try, and I was fortunate enough to win. I am now very excited to impact others through my platform, “Upward Mobility,” to help low-income and minority students succeed.