Your stories [Paromita Mitra, Mississippi]

BBC Radio Sheffield's ethnic affairs producer Shawkat Hashmi speaks with interesting people across South Yorkshire each week. We've highlighted some of his guests for you to enjoy right here...

From Bangladesh to Sheffield and now she's a Miss American Teen!

Bangladeshi born, Paromita Mitra, left Sheffield for Mississippi ten years ago and the seventeen year old has now won the crown for the Miss Mississippi Teen USA 2009.

Paromita will now go for the Miss Teen USA Pageant in July for the chance to win a year of travelling the world, working with charities and attending several glitzy, red carpet events including the prestigious New York Film Academy Awards.She loves astronomy, physics, and maths and in the future wants to be an aeronautical engineer working for NASA.
Paromita adores Bengali music and South Asian dance and in one of her last pageant competitions she wowed the judges with her Bengali folk dance. She would also love to return to her native Bangladesh to help underprivileged children.

Interview with Miss Mississippi Teen USA

By Shegoftah Nasreen Queen
Washington DC
09-December-2008

Paromita Mitra, 17, a Bangladeshi immigrant in the United States, won the crown for the Miss Mississippi Teen USA 2009 competition on Saturday, October 25, 2008. The competition was held at the Saenger Theatre in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Mr. Donald J. Trump, Chairman and President of The Trump Organization, on behalf of The Miss Universe Organization and NBC Universe sponsored this program. Winning this competition, Paromita will go for the Miss Teen USA Pageant competition in 2009, and get a chance to embark on a year of traveling around the world, working with incredible non-profit organizations, attending red carpet events and experiencing unforgettable moments. As a winner, Paromita receives some scholarship money, travel allowances, New York Film Academy Awards, several custom designed cosmetics and jewelries, and speech and communication training for Miss Teen USA, among many. Paromita’s onstage question was: what magazine cover she would like to appear on and what her headline would be. “Time Magazine,” she said. “The headline would be: A new generation for women, because I believe that I could be a diverse addition to the Teen USA program.”

Paromita, the daughter of Dr. Amal and Ratna Mitra, is a senior at Oak Grove High School in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Among with her many activities, she is the Senior Class President, a cheerleader, a pianist, and a member of her school debate club and the robotics team. She became the Homecoming Queen 2008-2009 at her school. She loves astronomy, physics, and math. In the future she wants to be an aeronautical engineer and work for NASA.

Paromita likes Bengali music and dance. In one of her last pageant competitions, she performed a Bengali folk dance. She plans to visit Bangladesh in summer 2009. She wants to help the underprivileged children in Bangladesh if she gets a chance.