Manju Gets Ready to Take Flight for Miami Swim Week

“From space suit to swimsuit, I am here to show women that we are limitless,” says the SI Swim Search finalist.

For Manju, the sky’s the limit… well, make that beyond the sky and out of this world. The SI Swim Search finalist, who is studying to be an astronaut, is determined to reach space by the age of 30. Before conquering the universe,though, she is taking Earth by storm, more specifically Florida, when she walks in the upcoming SI Swimsuit runway show at PARAISO Miami Beach for Miami Swim Week.

“It is the honor of my life to be a part of the SI family,” the 25-year-old physicist, actor and poet says. “I’ve never felt more accepted by any brand, any organization, anyone in my entire life. My body, my personality, my platform, everything that I believe in has been reaffirmed by the SI family. The world is ours and we can touch any star we dream of.”

Bangalore, who also has founded two nonprofits, is proving that women do not have to be just one thing. “I hope I am inspiring women to take the leap of faith and pursue anything their heart dreams of, no matter what anyone else says,” she recently shared with SI. It was a big part of why she submitted herself for Swim Search in the first place. “There still aren’t many Brown women in these spaces, so I wanted to not only represent my community as a South Indian woman, but I also wanted to remind the world that we never have to be just one thing.”

While she is gearing up for her Miami Swim Week debut, the first-generation Indian American recently had another first, appearing on General Hospital. “I am so thankful for these opportunities and so thankful for the team I have always rooting for me,” she wrote on Instagram. “My first TV show episode on air babyyyyy!!!” Bangalore’s acting credits include two Microsoft commercials and working with Queen Bey herself on Beyonce’s Black is King where she was cast in her “Brown Skin Girl” music video.

Meanwhile, the 2019 Miss World California continues to focus on her nonprofits. In 2015, she launched Operation Period, a youth-led, all-volunteer organization, to address menstrual health inequity through art, advocacy, education, community engagement and aid. Two years ago, she founded Painting with Parkinson’s to provide free painting kits and art classes to those affected by the disease. It is undeniable that she is out of this world!