PUJA Nagaria remembers watching Miss Universe pageants when she was only four-years-old, and thinking she wanted to be like those girls.

Now 27, she will represent the ACT in the Miss Earth Australia pageant between September 6 and 10 in Sydney.

“Growing up in the ’90s and early 2000s, I never really saw myself represented in the media,” she says.

“I’ve always been made fun of for the colour of my skin and my name, just because I’m Indian. I would always get comments like ‘is your daddy Apu from The Simpsons?’ and I’ve been told to go back to my country, but I was born here.”

Puja says she feels people are becoming more educated and open-minded, but she hopes she can make a difference on the pageant stage.

“I love the whole pageant scene, I love the glamour, but there are misconceptions about pageants. It’s not all beauty, there’s so much hard work, knowledge and education that goes into it,” she says.

“I have earned my bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Canberra.

“I’ve previously worked in the field, where my focus was assisting individuals who had faced experiences of sexual abuse.”

She was a finalist for Miss India Australia at the end of last year and had to pitch how she would make a social impact.

“My idea was Ghar Canberra, and it helped me win Miss India Australia Social Impact 2022.”

Ghar Canberra is her start-up that aims to empower Indian Australians through telling stories, providing resources, and sharing information.

“Right now I have a podcast, where I am interviewing influential Indian Australians that are making a big difference, which helps me provide more resources and information,” she says.

“In future, I hope to provide counselling sessions as well, but I feel like I need a bit more training in that field, just to be confident to provide that type of service.

“Previously I have specialised in providing counselling services to people that have experienced sexual abuse, not so much depression and anxiety or a lot of the issues that first generation immigrant children experience.

“I think it’s good for them to have me to talk to as well, as someone who has that experience personally. 

“I have seen a psychologist in the past, but I just found it so hard to relate to someone that is not of my culture because I feel like they don’t understand a lot of the problems I had as a child and growing up, the racism and being a first-generation immigrant child.”

This year, through Miss Earth, Puja says she’s focusing on raising awareness about environmental challenges.

“We are in a climate crisis right now, the world’s environment is so, so bad at the moment, but Australia is the only continent in the world where our species are at the fastest decline,” she says.

“That means the koala is endangered and the platypus is at risk of becoming extinct, and I’m passionate about saving them.

“I believe people are not really aware of what is causing these environmental changes, and people are not aware in their daily lives that what they’re doing could be contributing.

“I want to educate people on how we can improve climate change and what we can do better to preserve our planet for future generations, so I’m advocating for awareness.”

Puja says what’s making her most nervous though, is walking in heels.

“Miss Earth goes from September 6 to September 10. The winner gets to compete in Vietnam at the end of this year, which is really exciting, so I’ve been trying to prepare as much as I can,” she says.

“I do have a pageant coach at the moment. She’s helping me a lot, which is really great, but what I’m most nervous about is my walk. I’ve been practising walking in my heels every day.”

Puja says she’s determined to do the ACT proud and take home the crown.

“It’s not often you see someone of Indian or diverse heritage win an Australian pageant, so I’m driven to break down these stereotypes,” she says.

“The truth is, even though I’ve spent my entire life in Canberra, I’ve sometimes struggled with feeling completely Australian, but I’m inspired to step up and make change.”