Told she couldn't dance

A MODEL MISS

WHEN COSTCO MEMBER Shree Saini was a little girl, she wanted to be a dancer. But, diagnosed with a congenital heart defect at 12 and with a pacemaker implanted, she was told she wouldn’t be able to dance again.

Saini, now 22, not only pursued dancing, but also performed a dance routine inspired by her experience for the talent portion of the Miss India USA 2017 pageant last December in New Jersey. The Seattle resident won the national title and will go on to compete for Miss India Worldwide this year.

"I really hope to use my Miss India USA title to reach and help more individuals," says Saini, who was born in Punjab. Meanwhile, she plans to serve as a voice for various charitable causes. Saini, who has made it her personal goal to make 100 appearances during her reign, has spoken out about human trafficking, emotional wellness and nonverbal bullying, a form of harassment that she experienced as a child.

"I’ve been through many trials in my life, and if I once had a mentor or a role model to look up to I would have been able to get out of those tough situations much faster and then much easier," says Saini, who aims to be a role model for children.

Shree Saini, Miss India USA 2017

Saini is currently a student at the University of Washington and has also studied at Harvard, Yale and Stanford universities. In addition to her studies, she has founded a nonprofit organization (shreesaini.org) to increase awareness of and raise funds to help prevent nonverbal bullying and human trafficking.

"If I could just make an impact on one person’s life, that is priceless," she says. "I can’t put a number on that."

—Christina Guerrero

From Costco Connection