Kaziah Liz Mejo (Kerala) will be representing India at the 75th Miss Universe pageant and will get her first national title. She said that she had been working for the past three years to win the Miss Universe title.
Kaziah said that the journey was “amazing” and said it was one of her biggest dreams to become Miss Universe. She also stressed the personal significance of becoming the first Malayali to win the national title.
“This is an amazing journey. I've been working toward this for the past three years,” Kaziah said when she spoke about her achievement.
The 19-year-old said her ambition had been clear since childhood. While she had always considered the sky as the limit, she said she always believed there was “a whole universe beyond that,” a determination that she thinks is how she has found her way in the pageant.
With the national crown now secured, Kaziah will take up the responsibility of representing India at the international Miss Universe. But she said it goes beyond Kerala and shows that she can represent the country’s population of around 1.4 billion people.
#WATCH | Thiruvananthapuram, Keralam: 19-year-old Kaziah Liz Mejo to represent India at the 75th Miss Universe pageant.
— ANI (@ANI) September 21, 2026
Kaziah Liz Mejo says, "This is an amazing journey. I've been working toward this for the past three years. This has been the one thing that I've always wanted:… pic.twitter.com/hokwJHkUH8
Kaziah also discussed the importance of education and how she plans to integrate her education with her advocacy work. She is in the process of learning law, and she said that education can actually lead to change.
As she said, “I value my education because I think education is really the light of tomorrow,” adding that her legal education would help her take forward her advocacy and purpose and work toward “actual substantial change in the world.”
Her emphasis on education and advocacy adds another dimension to her pageant journey. International pageants now focus on contestants’ presentation and communication ability as well as their causes, public engagement and use of the platform for social causes.
Kaziah’s victory has also brought great pride to Kerala— she is the first Malayali to win the Miss Universe India title. She will now be a part of the national pageant from Kerala, but then she will have to go abroad to compete against people from all countries.
The 75th edition of the Miss Universe pageant will therefore be a big international opportunity for the young contestant. In preparing for the global competition, her focus is on representing India and using her platform to make her advocacy and educational interests national.
Kaziah’s journey also illustrates how pageants can be venues for contestants to discuss issues beyond beauty and fashion. Education, ambition, and advocacy are part of the theme for the young law student that she intends to carry with her to the international stage.
With the Miss Universe crown now her next goal, Kaziah has made her ambitions clear. From Kerala to the world stage, she will be followed by local people in India as she takes to the stage in the 75th Miss Universe pageant.
