At just 19, Kaziah Liz Mejo has already built a pageant career that spans national and international competitions. Now, the Kerala-born law student has reached her biggest milestone yet after being crowned Miss Universe India 2026 in Jaipur on August 23.
Mejo emerged ahead of 52 other finalists at the national finale, becoming the first woman from Kerala to win the Miss Universe India crown. She was crowned by outgoing titleholder Manika Vishwakarma. Her victory means she will represent India at the 75th Miss Universe competition, scheduled to be held in Puerto Rico in November.
For Mejo, the national title is not the beginning of her pageant journey but the latest step in a path she started several years ago. She first attracted attention as a teenager and won the Miss Teen Diva 2024 title. She subsequently represented India at Miss Teen International 2025, where she finished as the first runner-up.
Her success continued in 2026 when she won Miss Universe Kerala, becoming the youngest winner of the state title. That victory earned her a place at the national competition, where she eventually secured the crown.
What makes Mejo’s story particularly interesting is the combination of her academic and creative interests. She is pursuing a law degree in Bengaluru while working as a model and developing her skills in performance and public speaking. Her academic background gives her a path beyond modelling and pageantry, while her experience on stage has helped her develop confidence and communication skills.
She also has a strong connection with the performing arts. Mejo has trained in classical dance for around 12 years and has interests in music. She sings and plays instruments including the violin and drums. Her creative interests have also taken her into acting, with a role in the Malayalam film Shylock.
Although her roots are in Kerala, Mejo grew up in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Her childhood and education in the UAE gave her an international environment while she remained connected to her Kerala background. That combination of Indian roots and international exposure is now part of the identity she will carry to the global Miss Universe stage.
Her journey has not always been about confidence and glamour. Before winning the Miss Universe Kerala crown, Mejo spoke openly about struggles with self-image and insecurity. She said she had experienced doubts about her appearance and personality while growing up and had to consciously push herself beyond her comfort zone.
That personal experience has become an important part of her story. Rather than presenting confidence as something that came naturally, Mejo has described it as something she developed gradually. Pageantry, for her, became one way of challenging those insecurities and learning to become more comfortable in front of people.
Her national victory came after an intense finale in Jaipur, where the contestants were evaluated across several rounds. Former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen led the judging panel, with former beauty queens and personalities including Urvashi Rautela and Celina Jaitly also taking part. Tamil Nadu’s Vaishnavi Ganesh finished as first runner-up, while Gujarat’s Anushri Satavlekar was second runner-up.
Mejo’s winning moment also came with considerable expectations. India has already produced three Miss Universe winners — Sushmita Sen in 1994, Lara Dutta in 2000 and Harnaaz Sandhu in 2021. Mejo will now attempt to become the fourth Indian woman to win the international crown.
Her age is another notable part of the story. At 19, Mejo is entering the international competition at a relatively early stage in her adult life, but she already has experience of competing outside India. Her runner-up finish at Miss Teen International and victories in state and national pageants have given her a competitive background before the Miss Universe stage.
The international contest will bring a different level of pressure. Apart from appearance and stage presence, contestants are expected to demonstrate communication skills, personality, confidence and an ability to engage with audiences. Mejo’s combination of law studies, dance, music, acting and pageantry gives her several areas from which to draw as she prepares.
Her victory also represents a notable moment for Kerala in Indian pageantry. While women from the state have participated in national and international beauty contests, Mejo’s national Miss Universe India win puts a Kerala contestant at the centre of India’s campaign for the global title for the first time.
The next few months will now be about preparation. Mejo will have to transition from being a national titleholder to representing an entire country on an international platform. She will carry with her not just the Miss Universe India crown, but also the story of a young woman from Kerala who grew up in the UAE, pursued law, explored the performing arts and gradually found confidence through competition.
