Who is Kaziah Liz Mejo?
Kaziah Liz Mejo is an Indian model, law student, classical dancer and beauty pageant titleholder who became Miss Universe India 2026 in August 2026. At 19, she has already built a career that crosses pageantry, modeling, performing arts and acting, while continuing her studies in law.
Although her family roots are in Mavelikkara, Kerala, Kaziah spent much of her childhood in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Her years in the UAE shaped much of her early education and gave her a multicultural upbringing before she returned to India to pursue higher education and develop her career.
On August 23, 2026, Kaziah won the Miss Universe India title in Jaipur, defeating a field of contestants from across India. She is now scheduled to represent India at the 75th Miss Universe competition in Puerto Rico in November 2026.
Kaziah Liz Mejo’s early life
Kaziah was born in 2007 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, while her family has roots in the Mavelikkara area of Alappuzha district in Kerala, India. She grew up primarily in Abu Dhabi and has described the city as a place where she felt at home despite frequently changing schools.
Her schooling included Emirates National School, St. Joseph’s School and Abu Dhabi Indian School. Moving between schools was part of her childhood experience, but she has spoken positively about growing up in Abu Dhabi and the environment it provided.
The multicultural nature of Abu Dhabi also exposed her to different communities and experiences from an early age. That background later became useful as she entered pageants, where communication and the ability to interact confidently with people from different backgrounds are important.
Growing up in Abu Dhabi
Kaziah’s childhood in Abu Dhabi played an important role in her development. According to an interview with Khaleej Times, she was an outgoing and confident child before the insecurities of adolescence began to affect how she viewed herself. She has recalled moving between schools and still feeling that Abu Dhabi was home.
Her mother also introduced her to performance at a young age. Kaziah began taking classical dance lessons and participating in children’s stage events, experiences that gradually made performing in front of people more familiar to her.
Over time, the stage became more than a childhood activity. Dance, modeling and eventually pageantry became connected parts of her development.
Kaziah Liz Mejo and classical dance
One of the foundations of Kaziah’s career is her training in classical dance. She began her dance training as a child and eventually accumulated around 12 years of classical dance experience. Her training gave her an early understanding of posture, movement, expression and stage presence—skills that later became valuable in modeling and beauty competitions.
Her interests were not limited to dance. She has also trained in singing and learned to play instruments including the violin and drums. This background helps explain why performance became such a natural part of her life. Before competing for major beauty titles, Kaziah had already spent years learning how to perform, communicate and present herself on stage.
Kaziah Liz Mejo’s education
Education has remained an important part of Kaziah’s life even as her modeling and pageant career has grown. She completed her schooling in Abu Dhabi, including her senior years at Abu Dhabi Indian School. She later moved to India to pursue higher education and is currently studying law in Bengaluru.
Her decision to study law alongside a career in modeling and pageantry has become one of the distinctive features of her public profile. Rather than abandoning academics when she entered the entertainment and fashion world, Kaziah has continued to pursue both paths. Her academic ambitions have remained part of her identity even after winning the national crown.
Kaziah Liz Mejo’s family
Kaziah’s family has roots in Karipuzha near Mavelikkara in Alappuzha district, Kerala. Her parents have been identified in multiple secondary profiles as Mejo Abraham and Suja Mejo.
Her mother has played an important role in her early development. Kaziah has spoken about her mother’s involvement in introducing her to dance and pageantry and has described her family as supportive of her ambitions.
Her connection to Kerala has remained important despite growing up in the UAE. That connection eventually became central to her pageant career when she competed for the Miss Universe Kerala title in 2026.
Kaziah’s relationship with confidence and self-image
One of the more personal parts of Kaziah’s story is her experience with insecurity during her teenage years. In a 2026 interview, she spoke openly about how social media and unrealistic beauty standards affected her perception of herself. She recalled a period when she rarely took photographs without using filters and struggled with insecurity about her appearance and skin tone.
Her experience was particularly significant because beauty pageants can appear to demand perfection from contestants. Kaziah’s account offers a different perspective. Her confidence on stage was not something she always possessed naturally. She has described it as something she consciously worked to develop through communication, self-improvement and repeated exposure to situations that once made her uncomfortable. That journey from insecurity to confidence later became part of the story she told as a pageant contestant.
When did Kaziah Liz Mejo enter pageantry?
Kaziah began exploring pageantry while she was still a teenager. Her early experience gave her an opportunity to develop stage confidence and understand the demands of competitions. By the time she reached the Miss Teen Diva competition, she already had experience in dance, performance and modeling.
In 2024, she won Miss Teen Diva 2024. The victory also earned her the title of Miss Teen International India 2024 and the opportunity to represent India at the international teen competition the following year. The official Miss Teen Diva records describe her as a 17-year-old winner with extensive classical dance training and interests in singing and other performing arts. The victory became an important early milestone in her pageant career.
Winning Miss Teen Diva 2024
Kaziah’s Miss Teen Diva victory was significant because it moved her from local and early modeling experiences into a nationally recognized pageant pathway. She won the competition in 2024 while still very young and was selected to represent India at Miss Teen International.
The title also highlighted the combination of qualities that would later define her career: stage presence, communication, dance training and modeling ability. Rather than being the end of her pageant journey, the title became a stepping stone toward an international competition.
Miss Teen International 2025
In 2025, Kaziah represented India at Miss Teen International in Jaipur. She finished as first runner-up, with Spain’s Lorena Ruiz taking the international title. The competition featured contestants from 24 countries, giving Kaziah her first major experience competing against representatives from outside India.
Although she did not win the international crown, finishing as first runner-up was an important achievement. It also gave her experience that would later become useful when she entered the much larger Miss Universe India competition.
Kaziah Liz Mejo’s acting career
Pageantry is not Kaziah’s only connection to entertainment. She also has acting experience, having made an appearance in the Malayalam film Shylock, a 2020 film starring Mammootty. Her acting experience adds another dimension to her career alongside modeling, dance and pageantry.
Her involvement in Malayalam cinema also connects her more closely to her Kerala heritage. Although acting has not yet become the main focus of her career, the experience gave her an opportunity to work in front of a camera and within a professional film environment.
Whether she eventually pursues acting more seriously remains to be seen, particularly as her Miss Universe career now gives her a much larger public platform.
Winning Miss Universe Kerala 2026
The next major stage in Kaziah’s career came in 2026, when she won the Miss Universe Kerala title. The victory gave her the opportunity to represent Kerala in the national Miss Universe India competition.
It was also significant personally because Kerala was the state connected to her family roots even though she had spent much of her childhood in Abu Dhabi.
Before the national competition, she spoke publicly about the insecurities she had experienced growing up and the effort she had made to develop her confidence. Her Kerala victory showed how far she had progressed from the young girl who had once struggled with her appearance and self-image.
Kaziah Liz Mejo wins Miss Universe India 2026
Kaziah’s biggest achievement to date came on August 23, 2026, when she was crowned Miss Universe India 2026 at the national finale in Jaipur. She competed against more than 50 contestants from across India and ultimately emerged as the winner. Reports from the event place the number of contestants at 52.
The judging panel included prominent former beauty queens and entertainment personalities, including Sushmita Sen, who chaired the jury.
Kaziah’s victory was especially notable because she became the first woman from Kerala to win the Miss Universe India title.
Kaziah’s winning answer
One of the defining moments of the Miss Universe India 2026 finale came during the question-and-answer portion of the competition.
Kaziah was asked about a place where she felt she truly belonged. Her answer focused on the idea of feeling at home, an especially meaningful theme given her own background. She was born in the UAE, grew up there, and later returned to India, while maintaining strong family connections to Kerala.
Her ability to connect her personal experience with a broader idea of belonging helped distinguish her during the final stages of the competition.
Kaziah Liz Mejo’s connection to Abu Dhabi
Even after moving to India, Abu Dhabi remains an important part of Kaziah’s story. She spent most of her childhood there and has spoken warmly about the city and the sense of belonging she developed while growing up there.
Her experience in Abu Dhabi also shaped her communication skills and exposed her to a multicultural environment. When she later won Miss Universe India, her UAE connection became a major part of international coverage, particularly among Indian communities in the Gulf.
Her journey can therefore be described not simply as Kerala to the Miss Universe stage, but as a journey that connects Kerala, Abu Dhabi and India.
Kaziah Liz Mejo’s talents beyond pageantry
Kaziah has developed several skills outside traditional modeling.
Her documented interests and training include:
- Classical dance
- Singing
- Violin
- Drums
- Acting
- Modeling
- Public speaking
- Law
Her classical dance training is particularly extensive, with reports describing around 12 years of training. These abilities have contributed to her stage confidence and have allowed her to move between different areas of entertainment.
Her legal education also gives her career an academic dimension that distinguishes her from many young models whose careers are focused primarily on fashion and pageantry.
What is Kaziah Liz Mejo known for?
Kaziah is best known for winning Miss Universe India 2026.
Before that achievement, she was known for winning Miss Teen Diva 2024, representing India at Miss Teen International 2025, where she finished first runner-up, and winning Miss Universe Kerala 2026.
She is also known for her background as a model and classical dancer, her law studies in Bengaluru and her early acting experience. Her recent national victory, however, has dramatically increased her public profile.
Kaziah Liz Mejo and the Miss Universe 2026 competition
Kaziah’s next major challenge will be the Miss Universe 2026 competition. As Miss Universe India, she is scheduled to represent India at the 75th Miss Universe pageant in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on November 24, 2026.
The international competition will place her alongside representatives from countries around the world. For Kaziah, it will be another step beyond the national and teen competitions that shaped her earlier career.
Kaziah Liz Mejo’s personal life
Kaziah generally keeps her personal life relatively private and has focused her public appearances on her education, pageantry and career.
The parts of her personal story she has discussed publicly have largely concerned her upbringing, family support and the challenges she experienced with confidence and body image as a teenager. Her relationship with her mother has been particularly significant in her account of her early development, especially regarding dance and pageantry.
Rather than building her public profile around celebrity relationships or controversy, Kaziah’s public identity so far has centered on her achievements and ambitions.
How old is Kaziah Liz Mejo?
Kaziah Liz Mejo is 19 years old in 2026. Multiple reports following her Miss Universe India victory identify her as 19, while secondary biographical records place her birth year in 2007.
Kaziah Liz Mejo’s parents
Kaziah’s parents are reported as Mejo Abraham and Suja Mejo, whose family roots are in the Mavelikkara area of Kerala. Her mother has been particularly influential in her early involvement with dance and pageantry.
Kaziah has also spoken about the support she received from her family while pursuing opportunities in modeling and competitions. Her family’s Kerala roots have remained an important part of her identity even though much of her childhood was spent in the UAE.
Kaziah Liz Mejo’s nationality and background
Kaziah is an Indian beauty pageant titleholder with family roots in Kerala and a childhood spent in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Her background has attracted attention because it combines Indian heritage with a Gulf upbringing. She is now based in India for her studies and career, pursuing law in Bengaluru while working in modeling and preparing for her international pageant responsibilities.
Kaziah Liz Mejo’s journey from Abu Dhabi to the Miss Universe India crown
Kaziah Liz Mejo’s story is still at an early stage, but her journey already covers several distinct chapters.
She grew up in Abu Dhabi with roots in Kerala, trained in classical dance, developed interests in music and performance, entered pageantry as a teenager, won Miss Teen Diva, represented India internationally, studied law and explored acting.
In 2026, she returned to the pageant stage as Miss Universe Kerala and eventually won the Miss Universe India crown in Jaipur.
Her story is therefore not simply about a beauty-pageant victory. It is about a young woman who has spent years developing different skills while moving between cultures and balancing education with an increasingly demanding public career.
Mejo’s next appearance in Puerto Rico will determine how far that journey can go on the international stage.
For Kaziah Liz Mejo, the road from Abu Dhabi to the Miss Universe India crown has already been remarkable. The international chapter is only beginning.
Kaziah Liz Mejo biography at a glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Kaziah Liz Mejo |
| Born | 2007 |
| Age | 19 in 2026 |
| Birthplace | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates |
| Family roots | Mavelikkara, Kerala, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Profession | Model, beauty pageant titleholder, law student |
| Education | Law studies in Bengaluru |
| Grew up in | Abu Dhabi |
| Parents | Mejo Abraham and Suja Mejo |
| Major title | Miss Universe India 2026 |
| Earlier title | Miss Teen Diva 2024 |
| International result | 1st Runner-Up, Miss Teen International 2025 |
| State title | Miss Universe Kerala 2026 |
| Arts background | Classical dance, singing, violin and drums |
| Acting | Appeared in Malayalam film Shylock |
| Miss Universe 2026 | Scheduled to represent India in Puerto Rico |