In between college-campus visits, Senior Prom planning and mid-terms, 18-year old Sana Idnani was able to fit the Miss Teen New York pageant into her scheduled as she was crowned the 2008 Miss Teen New York. Sana Idnani made history on the 25^th anniversary of the Miss Teen New York contest as she was the first ever Sindhi crown holder. Miss Teen New York, a contest which dates back to 1983, has been an important segment in every teenage girl’s life. It is this contest which allows them to move forward to the Miss Teen USA pageant, representing their state on a National level. Sana stands out from the rest of the past Crown holders because she is the first South Asian-Indian to ever have been given this prestigious title.

The first ever Miss USA competition was won by Jackie Loughery, also a New York-native. The first Miss Teen USA contest was also won by a Miss Teen New York, Ruth Zakarian, who eventually paved her path towards Hollywood. Shauna Cambill won the Miss New York USA crown in 1999 and went to win the Miss USA crown at the national pageant and later took part in the Miss Universe contest. With such an extensive list of past winners and their accomplishments, it’s up to Sana to represent her community, as well as, Sindhi culture, on a national level as she competes against 49 other young, intelligent and beautiful girls for the title of Miss Teen USA.

In between shopping at Sephora in Times Square, Sana and I stopped for some coffee and we talked about her road to ‘the crown,’ her Sindhi heritage and much more!