First-Year Student Nadia Anwar Crowned Miss New York’s Teen 2025

Winner sets her sights on the Miss America’s Teen contest and beginning college life at SHU

Incoming Sacred Heart University student Nadia Anwar ’29 represented Staten Island in the Miss New York’s Teen pageant this July 12 and was crowned the winner. As Miss New York’s Teen, Anwar will compete in the Miss America’s Teen contest during the first week of September in Orlando, FL.

Anwar’s platform, Ready, Set, Shine, stems from the nonprofit organization she founded when she was 16. “It’s based on access, advocacy and awareness of the arts,” she explained. “I work with educating people about the impact and importance of the arts, showing them ways to either get involved or support the arts.”

Theater arts had a profound impact on Anwar, who was “transformed” through her first theatrical experience in fifth grade. As a shy child, “I had to learn to perform in the span of just a couple of months,” she said. “It made me step out of my comfort zone and brought me out of my shell.” She credits this experience for her success. “I wouldn’t be able to speak or sing in front of anyone had I not been involved with the arts.”

When Anwar was 11 years old, her older sister’s friend, who was in the Miss New York program, invited her into the “princess program”—now called the Little Sisters program—as the mentee of a competitor. This was her first taste of pageant life, and she was hooked. While she has been in the program for seven years, she has been eligible to compete for four. After four years of competition, 2025 was the first time Anwar landed in the top five, ultimately winning the Miss New York’s Teen title.

“One of my main goals is to grow,” Anwar said. People have asked her why, after three years of losing, she still competes. “I’m not really losing, because I’m gaining something every single time I compete, win or lose.”

She continued, “I’ve grown so much as a local title holder [Miss Staten Island’s Teen]. I can only imagine what’s to come as Miss New York’s Teen.”

Anwar begins her Sacred Heart journey in the fall in the chemistry dual-degree (bachelor’s-master’s) program with a minor in theatre arts. “Singing is a big part of my life, and I wanted to go somewhere that would give me the opportunity to stay connected with performing.” SHU opens that possibility.

The newly crowned Miss New York’s Teen knows what some people think of pageants, that beauty queens just walk across the stage and look pretty. “It’s so much more than that. It’s a place for meeting other amazing young women from across the nation and being able to fulfill service opportunities of your own.” Sacred Heart’s record of service also caught Anwar’s eye. “As a service-based school, it seemed like a great fit for me.”

Anwar is equally excited to serve as the title holder for next year and for her next five years at SHU.