Teen Author, Advocate, Beauty Queen & Humanitarian UmaSofia Srivastava is set on changing how young women see themselves and show up in the world. And given this young lady’s progress already, we are convinced nothing will stop her.
At only 17 years old, she is a gender rights, voter rights, LGBTQIA rights, and minority rights activist. She advocates for people suffering from intellectual and developmental disabilities to children suffering from cleft palates. From GLAAD to Best Buddies International to Smile Train to Vote.Org; if there is a case to be made for equality, inclusivity and recognition of the unique requirements of a marginalized population or cohort of her fellow human; UmaSofia is front and center speaking up, speaking out and leading by example.
UmaSofia is the author and illustrator of the multilingual children’s book The White Jaguar. And she speaks all four languages featured in the book including Spanish, Hindi, English, and French. Profits from the book go to both the World Wildlife Foundation, and the Lotus Petal Foundation – where copies are donated to the schools she visits. As an ambassador for the Lotus Petal Foundation – UmaSofia helps bring well-rounded education, nutrition, and healthcare to underprivileged children in India. She also volunteers with the Bridge of Books Foundation in New Jersey to collect books for inner-city kids. In September of 2023, UmaSofia became the first Mexican Indian, first-generation woman to win the prestigious title of Miss Teen USA.
Less than eight months later, in an unprecedented and historic moment, she was the first-ever Miss Teen USA in its 40-year history, to step down from the title just two and a half months before the end of her reign. Unwilling to compromise her values, she stepped away from a dream she has pursued for years until then.
As part of her Miss Teen USA journey, UmaSofia became an ambassador for Smile Train advocating for the importance of comprehensive cleft care. She is also an ambassador for Vote.org, the largest get-out-the-vote [GOTV] non-profit in the United States. UmaSofia runs her own blog, “That’s Fan Behavior,” where she writes about her experience as a woman of color, interviews changemakers, and shares her views on current events. She is also the founder and co-chair of the Diversity & Inclusion campaign at her school. In her free time, UmaSofia loves to read (her favorites are philosophy and historical fiction), travel, and explore her creative side, whether through writing her in-progress novels, writing music, or painting. UmaSofia has been the keynote speaker for GirlUp USA’s Annual Leadership Summit. GirlUpUSA is a nationwide movement for gender justice in the USA, for girls and by girls. GirlUp USA was founded by the United Nations Foundation. Recently UmaSofia was recognized by Shine Global Inc., a non-profit Academy Award® winning media company – as a 2024 Resilience Awards Honoree.
She will travel to Hollywood later this Fall to accept the award on the Paramount Pictures lot. Currently UmaSofia is going through the rigorous testing and application process for entrance into an undergraduate program and hopes to be accepted into Yale, Princeton, Georgetown, Tufts, or Duke. Friends, family, educators, and non-profit and corporate leaders alike have described UmaSofia as a powerhouse. At 17 years old and already a credentialed, recognized, and award-winning Author, Illustrator, Philanthropist, Humanitarian, Speaker, and Influencer with aspirations of earning her law degree and becoming a diplomat; we think we could have the next Amal Clooney on our hands.
You’ve accomplished so much at just 17 years old, from championing gender and minority rights to becoming an award-winning author and beauty queen. What drives you to take on such diverse and impactful roles? Apart from my passion for children’s educational equality, I am driven by my goal to be the representation that I didn’t see when I was little. I didn’t fully realize that by bringing visibility to my Mexican – Indian heritage through my book and my advocacy for minority rights, I would be able to inspire so many people to reach out and tell me about how they are now choosing to stand strong in their identity, be it their heritage, sexuality, immigration status, and so much more. My mantra is everything happens for a reason and through this belief, I have decided to never limit myself. At one point, writing and illustrating my own children’s book seemed near impossible, and yet, The White Jaguar is one of my proudest achievements. Hopefully, one day I will continue my advocacy for the very same issues I’m passionate about today when I run for office, a dream that seems more achievable than ever before because of this year’s historic election cycle marked by the U.S.’s first female Afro-Indian presidential nominee. If there’s anything I’ve learned so far is that if you wait for life to happen to you, it will pass you by. This is the very reason why every opportunity that I have to make a positive impact is one that I will take, no matter the circumstances because at the end of the day, one voice is stronger than no voice.
Your decision to give up the Miss Teen USA title made headlines. Can you tell us more about what led to that decision and how it reflects your personal values and beliefs? The sole reason I competed for Miss NJ Teen USA as a freshman, and then Miss Teen USA at the beginning of my Junior year, was because of the emphasis on charity and philanthropy that the organization promised. I had no prior experience in pageants, but my parents always raised me to value giving back and the power of my voice, which is why since I was little I’ve always found a way to be involved in my community, whether that was Girl Scouts or now, pageants. My parents have worked with The Lotus Petal Foundation since I was three, the largest non- profit school in India, dedicated to helping underprivileged children in India receive a well- rounded education, proper nutrition, and healthcare. My education has always been extremely important to me because learning is what gave me freedom during hard times. Knowing the privilege I have to attend 12 years of school and pursue higher education, is where my passion for children’s education stems from because my situation is not the reality for all children. But it should be. It’s two years now that I’ve been an official ambassador for an organization so special to me, that the first-ever reading of The White Jaguar was at 12 AM EST over Zoom to the Lotus Petal Secondary School and is where some of the first copies of my book were donated. In my search to expand my advocacy of children’s education to my home state, I came across another wonderful organization called Bridge of Books which provides an ongoing source of books to underserved children throughout New Jersey. Since discovering this organization, its become like a second family to me, and after every volunteer event I am filled with excitement when I see a child’s face light up as they receive their first-ever book. When I was crowned the first Mexican-Indian, first-generation Miss Teen USA, I knew that I would do everything in my power to expand the message of children’s education and acceptance of diversity, nationwide and worldwide. However, I quickly realized that the direction of the organization did not align with my values and the goals I had set for my year. When faced with the difficult choice of stepping down from something I had worked three years for, I realized that I was still the same person with or without the title. Since stepping down, I’ve finally been able to realize the goals that I had set for my advocacy. Getting to work with other incredible organizations like NAMI, Vote.org, Smile Train, and Best Buddies, aside from my work in children’s educational equity, has been a dream come true, but also the result of my dedication to pay it forward. Even if I had chosen to finish out my term, I would have continued my advocacy long after I passed on my title because my passion for giving back to my community started long before I ever knew what pageants even were.
As a multilingual author and illustrator, you have used your book The White Jaguar to support various causes. What inspired you to write this book and how do you see storytelling as a tool for change? When I was writing The White Jaguar, my one true hope was to create a story that would have resonated with my younger self, which manifested in the book’s protagonist. The White Jaguar tells the story of Nieve, a baby jaguar who has been rescued from the jungle after a fire. After being separated from her parents, she soon begins to realize that her unique, white coat separates her from the other jaguars. To find her way home, Nieve must embark on a journey for acceptance and most importantly, self-love, all while making friends along the way who teach her the value of being different. Growing up, I was not always accepted due to my mixed heritage because I was made to feel different culturally and physically; a sentiment which was also shared by people from either side of my heritage. At times I felt isolated because I couldn’t make friends as easily as I felt others did, but despite that, I am proud that my younger self continued to be unapologetically herself. Throughout elementary and middle school I dressed the way I wanted to – a mixture of experimentalist patterns and bold colors – and I loved things that were less than popular, which in turn made me less than popular. Even though I had a difficult time at school, I still look at those years with a sense of pride because not only did I not let the noise deter me academically, I never tried to change who I was inside or out. Writing The White Jaguar was a way to acknowledge the bravery that the little girl in me had, and the bravery I have today for embracing my identity.
Having read my book to over 10,000 children, nothing compares to the absolute joy that comes from having all of them relate to Nieve’s story in one way or another, and even having some of them open up to me. During the readings, I challenge the kids to repeat after me in the languages scattered throughout the book – Spanish, French, Hindi – and every time I am still surprised that every single person in the audience participates with an energy that only comes when you feel seen. It has also been incredible to realize that this story resonated with adults, who also wished they had someone to tell them that it was okay to be different when they were younger. The response I’ve received from people of so many different ages and backgrounds, I believe, is a response to the power of storytelling and the universality of The White Jaguar’s message. The experience of not only writing The White Jaguar but seeing its impact has truly healed my inner child. My only remaining hope is that people can continue to see themselves in Nieve’s story and my own. If The White Jaguar is the difference it takes to make a little girl like me realize earlier on that she is beautiful because of her differences, not despite them, I will have succeeded in the mission I set out to fulfill.
You are heavily involved in several advocacy groups such as GLAAD, Best Buddies International, and Smile Train. How do you manage to balance these responsibilities with your education and other commitments? Nowadays, transparency is a very rare thing and it is a quality that I value and hold myself to. In the spirit of this, sometimes balancing everything – working with these incredible advocacy groups, maintaining a 4.0 while taking AP and college level classes, making time for family, friends, and myself – can be a bit difficult, but it is the gratitude that I have for every responsibility, opportunity, and relationship that continues to drive me. There are a few things that I think have made me successful in striking a healthy balance in my life while continuing to expand my ambition and meet the standards I set for myself. The first piece of advice is to honest with yourself about how much you can responsibly say yes to. I am a huge advocate for saying yes to everything, but sometimes it is just not possible. Keeping my commitments is something very important to me which is why I have to guard against spreading myself too thin; quality time spent volunteering, nurturing personal and professional relationships, and exploring my passions are non-negotiables for me, even if it means adjusting my academic schedule or taking a day for myself. Secondly, pursuing projects and working with organizations that align with your values and goals will not only motivate you to give your 100%, but will open you up to new opportunities. This is the same with the people you surround yourself with; I am lucky to have such supportive parents and a few friends who have proven that they will support me during my highs and my lows, and whose dedication to their own goals inspires me to work harder. However, I always remain mindful that the only person I’m ‘competing’ with is myself, and time. Comparison truly is the thief of joy and the enemy of progress. Finally, sometimes it can be difficult to remember why I took on so much responsibility in the first place. In times like these, I take a step back and look at how far I’ve come. So often we are transfixed on our mistakes, and so briefly do we acknowledge our triumphs. No failure is a true failure if you get up and keep going.
Your blog, “That’s Fan Behavior,” covers a variety of topics, from current events to your experiences as a woman of color. What motivated you to start this blog and how do you hope it will influence your readers? I started That’s Fan Behavior when I was only 12 years old during the summer of 2020, a few months into the pandemic. What was at first a creative outlet for my writing quickly turned into a platform where I explored my opinions on current events and gave raw insight into my experience as a mixed race, woman of color. Today, I’ve published interviews with the founder of The Lotus Petal Foundation and the Mexican Consul of New Jersey, while also releasing short stories and early chapters of my in-progress novel to limited subscribers. Ultimately, this platform has given me an escape to write about things I love and to explore both creative and political themes. I hope that my readers are inspired by how multi-faceted I believe my blog to be, proving that you don’t have to limit yourself to one type of writing or one passion. After all, curiosity and exploration are the foundations of genius!
Given your interest in philosophy and historical fiction, how do these themes influence your activism and creative work? Is there a particular thinker or writer who has had a profound impact on you? I think because I consumed literature, and especially historical literature, so voraciously from such a young age, this has greatly benefited my writing and public speaking, as well as influenced my perspective when approaching current issues. The universality of philosophical and political themes appeals to me as someone of mixed heritage because I see overlaps between Mexican and Indian cultures despite them being on opposite sides of the world. There’s a sort of humanity that is revealed when the simple realization that people, despite their factions, religions, cultures, and geography, all have similar needs and vulnerabilities. In a world that tries desperately to pit us against each other, recognizing our shared experiences is often all it takes to notice humanity in someone that you disagree with on some level. If I had to subscribe to a particular school of thought, I would say that I can tend to lean existential. I don’t believe the universe is without meaning, but it’s certainly unpredictable, and in that unpredictability, it is our search and creation of meaning that gives us purpose. But I’m a bit absurdist in the sense that you should never quite take that purpose too seriously. Despite all the responsibility that I take on and the goals I set for myself, having fun along the journey and enjoying time with my loved ones is what makes life worth living. That being said some of my favorites are Kafka, Plath, Orwell, and I also really enjoy the nostalgia of Pam Muñoz Ryan because she was my first introduction to spanish literature. What I appreciate most about these authors is their raw approach to writing, whether that be sheer emotional depth or the subversion of societal expectations.