From watching competitions on TV as a little girl to winning a state title at 24 years old, Himanvi Panidepu is well-versed in the world of pageantry. In June, the Centreville native was crowned Miss Virginia USA. She also won Miss Virginia Teen USA in 2018 and is now the first Indian American to hold both titles. This week, she will travel to Hollywood to compete in the 73rd Miss USA pageant.
Although Panidepu has dedicated much of her life to pageantry, she took a six-year hiatus after her 2018 win to focus on college and her cybersecurity career. Graduating cum laude from Virginia Tech in 2022, she holds degrees in business information technology and management. She is currently employed at Ernst & Young, an accounting firm where she has worked for two years.
Educational experiences and Panidepu’s career in cybersecurity inspired her to create STEMpowered Leaders, an initiative that advocates for those interested in STEM fields to pursue their passions and combat stereotypes. Panidepu believes that greater exposure to the STEM workforce should begin young.
While briefly living in Texas last year for work, Panidepu competed in Miss Dallas USA, her very first “Miss” pageant, where she placed in the top five. She then moved back to Virginia to represent her home state in Miss Virginia USA. Panidepu is now preparing for the national competition in the first week of August.
How did you get started in competing in pageants?
I grew up watching Miss USA and Miss Universe every year since I was a little girl. I remember watching on the couch with my mom and always thinking, “I want to do that someday. I want to be her one day.”
Then in my junior year of high school, my mom came up to me one day and said, “Do you want to try this Indian pageant?” Both my parents are Indian immigrants who came to the US before I was born. So I said, “Sure, why not?” And I ended up winning the national title for that. I competed twice for Miss Virginia Teen USA. The first time, I didn’t place. But I learned a lot from that experience, and then I came back and won in 2018.
What are your new responsibilities as Miss Virginia USA?
You want to be as involved as you can, and so you want to make the most out of it. Responsibilities would be competing at Miss USA [and] attending different types of appearances and events.
Each contestant has the initiative [to advocate] for important causes they stand for. My initiative is called STEMpowered Leaders. Growing up, I had to overcome so much stigma and stereotypes in my everyday life, career, and school. I hope to inspire the youth to pursue non-traditional fields, specifically in STEM, [through] different types of mentorship programs and workshops I facilitate and foster around the state. Minorities and women only make up less than a third of the STEM workforce, so I think it just showcases the need for broader access and exposure to STEM at a younger age.
What does it mean to be the first Indian American to win both Miss Virginia USA and Miss Virginia Teen USA?
Growing up, I remember watching the shows every year, and unfortunately, I just didn’t see people [who] looked like me on that stage. When I won Miss Virginia Teen USA, [I] tried to encourage, especially the Indian community, to start looking into pageants. There are so many great things that come along with pageantry. There are so many stereotypes that come along with it, too, and I try to break those stereotypes. Being the first Indian American [winner] and a cybersecurity consultant — it doesn’t have to be one or the other. You can do it all.
How will you be preparing for the Miss USA pageant next week?
Since I did compete so recently, all the preparation I did in terms of interviews and walking is so fresh in my mind. I’ve been continuing that prep throughout this past month, [with] maintaining a healthy lifestyle, eating well, and staying active. For the interview, a big part of it is staying knowledgeable and up to date on current events. Everyone’s going to be representing a state. So you want to know what’s going on in your state and what’s going on in the nation.
What advice would you give to young girls competing in their first pageant?
I suggest just being yourself and not comparing yourself to others. You should be confident in yourself, and you shouldn’t have to change [to] fit into something that the judges want. There are going to be so many pretty and accomplished women, but [at] the end of the day, the judges are going to be looking for the person who’s most relatable and who’s most themselves. If it doesn’t work out, don’t get yourself up. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t end up winning; just keep trying and keep learning and growing every day.
Feature image courtesy Goodwin Photography
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