From Small Town to Big Dreams

Sandhu was born in the village of Kohali in Gurdaspur district, Punjab, to parents Pritampal Singh Sandhu and Rabinder Kaur Sandhu. Her father is a Realtor and her mother is a gynecologist. She also has one sibling. Sandhu was raised in a Punjabi Jat Sikh family. In 2006, she moved to England, before returning to India two years later and settling in Chandigarh. She attended Shivalik Public School and the Post Graduate Government College for Girls, both in Chandigarh. Prior to becoming Miss Universe, Sandhu was pursuing a master's degree in public administration. In addition to her native language Punjabi, Sandhu is also fluent in Hindi and English. Sandhu began competing in pageantry as a teenager, winning Miss Chandigarh 2017 and Miss Max Emerging Star India 2018. She participated in Miss Diva 2018 and a finalist. After winning Femina Miss India Punjab 2019,