By KATHY CHANG
Staff Writer
EDISON — Chaavi Verg is Miss New Jersey USA 2017, but it came with a loss and a year of emerging from a teenage girl into a young woman.
As she rung in 2016, Verg, 19, made her New Year resolutions — be crowned Miss New Jersey USA and become extremely fit.
Energized and motivated from not placing in the 2016 Miss New Jersey USA that was held in October of 2015, Verg made a commitment.
Her goal was to be crowned 2017 Miss New Jersey USA, which was held in October 2016.
“I was upset,” she said of not placing last year.
Verg said she believes she was overconfident from her fourth runner-up placement in the 2014 Miss New Jersey Teen USA.
As a senior at John P. Stevens (J.P.) High School, Verg said she saw a letter from her guidance counselor about scholarship opportunities by competing in the 2014 Miss New Jersey Teen USA.
The Miss New Jersey Education Foundation, according to its website, is a scholarship organization, and its mission is to provide educational assistance to young women between the ages of 17 and 24.
The program also provides young women with a forum from which they can raise awareness and effect change for social issues that are important to them.
“I had done a little bit of modeling before [Miss New Jersey Teen USA], but [had] no pageant experience,” said Verg, adding that she had gotten her gown and swimsuit shortly before the pageant with last-minute preparations. “I figured maybe I could win and entered the 2016 Miss New Jersey USA in October 2015.”
However, Verg said she learned quickly that Miss New Jersey Teen USA and Miss New Jersey USA are two different competitions. After a good cry, preparation began for 2017 Miss New Jersey USA.
“I knew in my head that I wanted this,” she said.
So as Verg celebrated the New Year, she spent time figuring out who she was, what her strengths and weaknesses were and more.
“It was a period of self-growth, reflection in order to put my best foot forward,” she said.
Verg said being crowned this year would not have happened if she had not placed in the pageant for 2016 Miss New Jersey USA.
“It made this victory that much sweeter,” she said, noting that she is the second Asian Indian American to have won the title. “I think this year helped me grow from a teen into a young woman.”
With the support of her family — dad, Ravi, mom, Meera, and brother, Parth — Verg has worked hard to achieve her New Year resolutions.
Along with being crowned Miss New Jersey USA, she is a personal trainer who has received her certification.
“Dreams do happen,” she said with a smile.
Straight from a workout at Retro Fitness in Edison, Verg — a sophomore enrolled in the Rutgers University Business School and a 2014 J.P. Stevens High School graduate — spoke about what drew her to pageants and what is in store for the future.
Verg, who will turn 20 on Dec. 27, is wise beyond her years with goals of making changes in women empowerment and women equality not just in the United States, but around the world through the pageants.
“I am a huge proponent against child labor, human trafficking, hunger … so many things,” she said.
Verg said she has enjoyed the pageants, which she likened to her years on stage trained in classical Indian dance.
“I love being on stage,” she said. “It is fun being in front of people.”
As this year comes to an end, Verg is making her appearances, which she said focuses on the community. She serves as 2017 Miss New Jersey USA until October 2017.
She visited the First Presbyterian Church of Metuchen the day before Thanksgiving to help pack food and grocery items that were given out to 60 local families for Thanksgiving.
Next up, Verg has her eyes set to become the first Asian Indian American to win the Miss USA Pageant in June 2017 to further her desire to make a difference in the world.
She said she is the first person in her family to do something like this.
“My family moved here from India when I was 4 years old with very little money for the American dream so that my brother and I could live that American dream,” she said.
As for after college, Verg said her goal is to one day become a United Nations Ambassador.
Mitch Kurtzer, owner of Retro Fitness Edison, and his team have rallied behind Verg and her quest.
“We’re excited,” he said. “When will we see a local girl like this from Edison, a JP Stevens graduate, again earn a title like this?”
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/MissNewJerseyUSA.