19-year-old Anukreethy Vas was crowned Femina Miss India 2018 yesterday, in Mumbai in a ceremony hosted by Karan Johar and Ayushmann Khurrana and judged by Bobby Deol, Malaika Arora Khan, and Kunal Kapoor, Irfan Pathan and KL Rahul among others.

She had previously been awarded Miss India Tamil Nadu 2018. 

She is currently pursuing BA in French from Loyola College, Chennai to become a translator. 

Anukreethy, who competed with 30 other contestants, is now going to represent India at the Miss World 2018 pageant in China. 

Anukreethy is a state level athlete, who also loves to bike and learn new languages. 

hardwork never fails 💝 Proud representative of TAMILNADU ❣ @missindiaorg

A post shared by Anukreethy Vas (@anukreethy_vas) on

Raised by a single mother, Anukreethy aspires to fulfill not just her dreams but those of her mother as well.

In fact, in an interview before the Miss India pageant, she admitted that her mother was her biggest inspiration. 

I’ve seen all her struggles throughout my life to give wings to my dreams and she was being blamed for all my mistakes so I want everyone to praise her for my win. My mother will surely be proud of me and my achievements.

According to The Times of India, Anukreethy believes in the philosophy, ‘Nothing can dim the light that shines from within’. 

Nothing can dim the light that shines from within ❤ Costume : @like_ladies_wear9586

A post shared by Anukreethy Vas (@anukreethy_vas) on

She started modeling because she wanted a platform to share her ideas.  

In fact, she admitted that she already envisions herself as Miss World 2018. 

Finally I’m Miss India World 2018

A post shared by Anukreethy Vas🔵 (@anukreethy_vas_official) on

We hope that this determination goes a long way in helping her achieve her dreams. 

All images from her Instagram account, unless specified otherwise.