Trishna Ray, a student of KIIT University in Bhubaneswar, has been crowned Miss Teen Universe 2024. Ms Ray was given the coveted crown at the pageant held in South Africa's Kimberley, and its photos and videos have been posted by the event organisers on Instagram. The event was held from November 1 to 9; the 10 finalists came from countries including Peru, South Africa, Brazil, Kenya, Portugal, and Netherlands but Ms Ray beat all of them to become Miss Teen Universe 2024.
Peru's Anne Thorsen and Namibia's Precious Andre were first and second runner-up.
Watch the video of Trishna Ray's win:
According to Kalinga TV, she is the daughter of Colonel Dillip Kumar Ray and Rajashree Ray and studies fashion technology at KIIT.
The institute's founder Dr Achyuta Samanta congratulated the 19-year-old.
Congratulatory messages poured in on social media too.
"It was your time," said one user on Instagram. "India came, India shined, India conquered. Trishna Ray thank you for bringing this honour for the nation," said fashion designer Shaine Soni.
"We now have the golden and the pink crowns both the first time for India. What a year. What an ND. What girls," a third user commented.
Miss Ray won the Miss Teen Universe India pageant on April 13 last year.
Her institute posted the news of her win on its website, which talks about her struggles and setbacks. It said that the win is special since Miss Ray had missed competitions in Colombia and the Dominican Republic due to visa issues.
Her win is a testament to her perseverance, making both Odisha and India immensely proud, the institute said while congratulating the young winner.
