Anshika Virani of Plainsboro competed in the pre-teen category of the National American Miss pageant for girls ages 4 to 20. Virani, 9, is a fourth grade student at Millstone River Upper Elementary School. The state finals were held Friday and Saturday, August 16 and 17, at the Hilton Hotel in East Brunswick.
Virani was selected as one of the semi-finalists and came in the top 10 out of close to 200 contestants. She received awards for New Jersey State Ambassador, Best Thank You letter, Best Resume, and Spirit of America. She also became a national finalist and qualified to participate in the national competition.
The National All American Miss Pageant will be held at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, during Thanksgiving week. Anshika, who will represent New Jersey, will participate in optional contests such as talent, actress, and casual wear modeling. “She is elated and looking forward to participating in the nationals,” says her mother, Purvi Virani. “At the same time, she wants to make sure that she doesn’t miss her school days.”
Her mother was a scientist at an Indian Space Research Organization and is now president of Virani Consulting, an IT consulting firm. Her father, Bhavyesh Virani, studied at the Indian Institute of Science and is the COO and founder of Virani.
Virani is on the Cando Aquatics Swim Team. She has been studying horseback riding at Wildflower Farms in West Windsor since she was six, and taekwondo began when she was five at Cando Martial Arts. The summer became more exciting for Virani when she received her black belt in taekwondo and certificate of achievement from Kukkiwon Academy, South Korea.
Virani has been studying piano with Galina Prilutskaya at Westminster Conservatory for a year, and Odissi dancing for the past two years with Bani Ray. “It is one of the eight classical dances from India and originated from eastern India,” she says. “It is the oldest surviving dance form.” She studies Hindustani, Indian classical music, with Suresh Wadkar and his disciple, Purnash Durgaprasad.
Anshika recently founded Club E-BiTes (Eyes Bigger Than Stomach) and Virani wants to spread her message to stop wasting food to a larger audience. “She is very much excited about her community involvement project,” says her mother. She is considering benefiting either Ronald McDonald House or the Trenton Soup Kitchen.
“My goal is Princeton University and my dream is to be the chief scientist at NASA,” says Virani. “I would like to make a difference by spreading the message ‘Fill up your plate just to fill up your stomach’ to save food — as we curently waste 40 percent of food that we grow.”
