AS a teenager, struggling with acne, feeling uncomfortable in her own skin, it was a beauty pageant during a visit to India that gave ANU student Krishna Shukla the confidence she was lacking. 

“At that point I was of the mindset that pageants are superficial and was very judgmental of the whole system,” says Krishna, who, six years later, has been shortlisted for Miss World Australia. 

“But, when I took part in it, I learnt it’s about so much more than what you look like. It’s also about the views you have and what you want to do for your community.”

The 22-year-old is one of two state finalists from the ACT, who are vying for a spot in the national round of the pageant. 

Brisbane-raised but born in India, Krishna hasn’t entered many pageants, but, with her degree finishing up this year, she says she’s got more time to give it a real shot. 

“I strongly believe in representing the multicultural aspect of Australia on a global level and I also want to take part because I believe in giving back to my community,” she says. 

“My parents have always instilled in me the importance of giving back.”

Krishna’s parents moved to Australia when she was six, without any friends or family support. 

“The community supported them, allowing them to go out with confidence,” she says. 

“We came with very little and all of this is possible because we had this supportive community and government.”

It’s this reason that’s inspired Krishna to study a degree in economics and political science, with a goal to work in government.

“But regardless of the pageant, I’m constantly giving back,” says Krishna, who’s also been inspired to volunteer as a way to say thank you to the community that supported her family, and now her. 

“I’m very driven because this is actually how I’ve seen my mum behaving as I was growing up.” 

Her parents have returned to India where her mother runs her own NGO helping to prevent child sexual abuse in India. 

“I’d rather volunteer and be busy rather than sit at home and have nothing to do,” she says.

For Krishna, the pageant is giving her a platform to represent her culture and to highlight certain fundraisers. She usually chooses one a year to raise money for and in the past she’s fundraised for koalas affected by the bushfires, women in developing countries and Variety, the children’s charity that supports children from abused backgrounds. 

“The pageant is a wonderful way to grow your self-confidence, make friends and meet other like-minded women,” she says. 

“When I was in that first pageant in India, I was feeling so insecure of my skin and my body but nobody cared about that, they cared about what I had to say.

“I got eliminated after the first round, but it was a really rewarding experience for me.”

This time, though, Krishna hopes to take home a Canberra win. 

“It is very rare to have girls from Canberra being represented in pageants,” she says, after many trips to Sydney during the selection process. 

Now, Krishna is preparing for the next round, which has been pushed back because of COVID-19.