UAE-Raised Law Student Wins Miss Universe India Crown; Eyes Global Pageant Stage

Kaziah Liz Mejo was in Jaipur when Gulf News caught up with her, juggling pageant rehearsals, photo shoots and a flood of media requests. The 19-year-old law student had become Miss Universe India 2026 only recently, and the reality was still settling in. “Even now I’m having a little bit of difficulty digesting the fact that I’m now the representative of India at the world’s biggest pageant,” she said in an exclusive interview.

Beneath the diamond-encrusted crown and satin sash, though, lies a careful calculation about preparation. Mejo credits her upbringing in Abu Dhabi with positioning her for this moment in ways she never anticipated when she was simply growing up there. The UAE capital, she argues, taught her to navigate a world of competing cultures and identities without having to choose between them. That foundation, she believes, will prove decisive when she steps onto the Miss Universe stage in Puerto Rico.

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The multicultural environment of Abu Dhabi shaped how Mejo sees herself and her country. “One of my strong suits at the moment is the fact that I have lived in a country which is so welcoming of every single ethnicity, of every single person, irrespective of your background, irrespective of what your journey was,” she explained. That exposure to diverse communities across the UAE gave her a particular lens on India. “The entire world sees India as a powerhouse, as an epitome of strength, of greatness, and that really gave me the courage to be that one representative of India internationally as well.”

Her assessment of the place where she spent her formative years is unambiguous. “I think UAE is just a country of endless possibilities.” That conviction runs deep enough that she made a personal pledge before leaving. “I left home and I left Abu Dhabi so, so long ago in pursuit of this dream, and I promised Abu Dhabi and I promised all my friends there, my school, my teachers that I will come back with the crown and I promise I will make you proud.”

Teachers from her seventh and eighth grade years have begun reaching out. They remember a young girl who loved performing and harbored enormous ambitions. What matters most to Mejo is that they never dismissed those dreams as the fancies of a child. “The best part is they never dismissed it. They never thought it was just a little girl with wild dreams. They saw it as a girl with a vision.” Now she intends to return to Abu Dhabi with the crown she promised them.

Mejo’s path to pageantry began much earlier, rooted in classical Indian dance. She started performing around age four or five, and her parents noticed something shift when she took the stage. “They realised that I smile differently when I’m on stage. My eyes glow differently when I’m on stage. I was born for the stage!” Her mother had participated in small pageants while growing up in Kerala, but Mejo entered pageantry without parental pressure. When she told her parents she wanted to try, they asked only one question: “How do you register?”

That unconditional support became foundational to her confidence. “I truly pray to God that every girl out there gets a family like this, because when you have that support, when you have that wind behind your wings, I promise you can soar so high.” The turning point came in 2021 when she watched India’s Harnaaz Sandhu win Miss Universe. “The first ever show that I ended up watching was the year that India’s Harnaaz won, and I think that moment really changed my life. It changed how I saw the world, and it changed what I wanted to be as well.”

Mejo competed against 51 women for the Miss Universe India title on August 23, 2026. Her final question asked about the sound of silence. “When you say that the stars align for you, that I think was my night, 23rd August, 2026. The stars really did align in my favour.” When they called her name, she screamed on stage, unable to process what had happened. She has watched the viral video repeatedly, joking that most of the views probably come from her own rewatches.

Her approach to the physical demands of pageantry diverges sharply from conventional wisdom. The first thing she ate after winning was pizza, around 5am, with a craving for burgers and fries as well. Throughout the competition, she consumed pizzas and burgers with extra cheese and extra patties. She rejects the notion that women must starve themselves into a particular shape. “If you have to starve yourself for a body, then that body is really not yours, right? Your body is your temple. You need to treat it with kindness, treat it with love. A burger once in a while is not going to do anything.” She works out and stays active, but insists that food and fitness must come with self-compassion. “Carbs, I love. I love my junk food.”

Her first night with the crown proved memorable in an unexpected way. She slept with it, hugging the crown box so tightly that she woke with bruises from its pointed edges. “I’ve worked so hard for it,” she said, unwilling to let it out of her sight.

Gulf News spoke with Mejo on Onam, and she appeared for the interview in a sari despite being away from Kerala. “I miss my sadya, I miss my Onam sari, but this is the make-do that I could do with what I have.” She plans to carry her Indian identity visibly to Puerto Rico. “Irrespective of where I am, I will always celebrate India. I will always celebrate Kerala. Even if I go to Puerto Rico, you will see me in sarees. You will see me in traditional wear because this is the small ways in which you can carry India with you and showcase that to the world.”

Meanwhile, opportunities beyond pageantry are already arriving. Brand ambassador requests and film debut offers have begun coming in. Acting has always appealed to her. “I absolutely love the industry of acting as well. It’s been one of my biggest dreams to join that as well.” But those doors can wait. “Miss Universe is an opportunity that opens a lot of doors for me, but my first and foremost vision is to bring the crown of Miss Universe back to India.”

More details about her journey can be found at gulfnews.com/entertainment/i-promised-abu-dhabi-id-return-with-the-crown-uae-raised-kaziah-liz-mejo-on-the-journey-to-miss-universe-india-2026-1.500652638.

The young woman raised in Abu Dhabi is now preparing to walk into a room filled with contestants from across the world. In many ways, she has been preparing for that room all her life. “I’m so overwhelmed, but I’m so ready for it,” Mejo said. “I’ve prepared myself for this, and I know that we’re gonna make history.” Whether Puerto Rico delivers on that promise will be the answer Abu Dhabi, Kerala and all her rivals are waiting for.