Miss New Jersey USA 2017, who lost the Miss USA title May 14 in Las Vegas, despite winning the popular vote, has told Ela Dutt that she plans to do something bigger going forward. Chhavi Verg, a business major in Rutgers University, has won the Miss New Jersey USA contest on Oct. 16 last year, she told that she wanted to “break the stereotypes” about the Indian-American community.
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She did it again this May 14, at the Miss USA competition in Las Vegas, landing as the 1st Runner-up position. “We are very proud,” Ravi Verg, Chhavi’s father told Desi Talk as they boarded a flight home from Las Vegas.
For Chhavi and the family, it was a bit of a shock not to win the title. She graciously said, “It was a very difficult competition. All the contestants were so deserving. It was a tough group.”
“I’m going to be viewing this as a challenge, an opportunity, and I plan to do something bigger. I don’t need a crown to do great things. That’s going to be my mantra,” said the 20 year old.
The title of Miss USA was won by Kara McCullough, Miss District of Columbia. Meredith Gould of Minnesota won the 2nd Runner-up.
Verg has generated a flood of positive responses to her answers during critical rounds of the contest. When asked about the dangers of social media, she answered calmly, measured and with confidence.
“With social media, I believe it has given so much power in this world, but with great power comes great responsibility and I have seen both ends of social media,” Verg said. “But at the same time, I have also been a victim of cyberbullying like many of the contestants with me standing on this stage.” One is not anonymous on social media, she warned.
“Feminism is striving for equality and I do consider myself a feminist,” Verg said. “I think it’s a misconception when people believe that feminism is women being better than men. But it’s really not. It’s a fight for equality. And we need to realize that if we want a stable society, a better future for every single individual, we need to be equal,” Verg said..
“That’s why I advocate for education for women because women are still held back in places of the world. They still don’t have that right, their independence – that right to their equality – all because of education,” she added. “And once we take that step, I do believe an equal world is a better world.”
“It’s a bitter-sweet feeling (to win the popular vote),” Verg said. “But I’m going to be viewing the result as a challenge and an opportunity to do something bigger,” she said. “I don’t need a crown to do great things. That’s going to be my mantra,” she asserted.
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Verg was born in India and came to the United States when she was four years old. She loves visiting India regularly to see her grandparents and the extended family.
She enjoys dancing, public speaking, learning languages and committed to fitness and health. Verg is an ISSA certified personal trainer and hopes that through her certification, she can urge others to take better care of themselves both physically and mentally.
Miss USA 2017 is the 66th Miss USA pageant. It was held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Till as recently as 2015, the pageant was owned by President Donald Trump for close to two decades.
By Premji
