First-Gen Rutgers Student Uses Pageant Win To Champion Educational Equity

Photo: Jeff Arban/Rutgers University

India-West Staff Reporter

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — Asmi Kaushal is headed to the national stage. The 19-year-old Rutgers University sophomore was crowned Miss New Jersey International 2025 earlier this year and will represent the state at the Miss International pageant in Tennessee this July. But for Kaushal, the pageant crown is just a tool—one she’s using to spotlight a cause close to her heart: educational equity.

Born in India and raised in New Jersey since the age of six, Kaushal is the first in her family to attend college in the U.S. She knows firsthand how confusing the education system can be for immigrant and first-generation students.

“When your parents didn’t go to school here, it’s easy to feel lost in the process,” she said. “There’s so much more to succeeding in high school and college than just grades.”

A mechanical engineering major with a minor in math at Rutgers–New Brunswick, Kaushal is now using her title to advocate for students like herself. Her focus? Making sure young people understand what it really takes to thrive in the American education system—from AP classes to internships and extracurriculars.

“A lot of students don’t realize that there’s so much more to do in education than just the academic portion. There are extracurriculars, there are volunteer opportunities, there are internships,” she said. “I want to change that.”

She’s already begun offering free workshops—both online and at her former high school—on academic planning, volunteer programs, and summer learning opportunities. Her next step is to launch a peer mentorship program connecting high schoolers with college students in similar career tracks.

While Kaushal once thought she’d pursue law, her love for physics and robotics drew her to engineering. “I realized I was good at math and science, and I just followed that passion,” she said, noting she’s now considering a concentration in aerospace.

At Rutgers, she’s an active member of the Society of Women Engineers, where she works on initiatives to encourage more girls to enter STEM fields.

“I’m proud to be where I am,” Kaushal said. “And I want other students like me to know they can get here too.”