The Beauty of Breaking Boundaries

Kristina Ayanian ’19 understands that beauty pageants can be polarizing.  

She knows some view such competitions with contempt, believing they objectify participants and perpetuate unhealthy, unrealistic and unenlightened ideals of womanhood. But Ayanian — who, as Miss Universe Armenia 2022, recently competed in the 71st annual Miss Universe Pageant — doesn’t see it that way. For her, pageants have always been empowering, in part because they provide a powerful platform for social advocacy. “As a titleholder, I can reach larger and more diverse audiences, and bring greater awareness to the causes I care about,” she explains.  

A proud Armenian American and member of a multi-generation refugee family — her great-grandparents fled to the Middle East after surviving the Armenian Genocide of 1915 — chief among those causes is the current humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, a long-disputed region in the South Caucasus claimed by both Armenia and neighboring Azerbaijan. The remote area, also known as Artsakh, boasts an ethnic Armenian majority and is accessible via a single road from Armenia; as detailed by Amnesty International and other human rights NGOs, this road has been blocked by Azerbaijani forces since December, denying residents access to food, medicine and fuel.  

Frustrated that much of the world seems unaware of “the heartbreaking reality of my people,” Ayanian is leveraging her visibility in the pageant world to inspire others to speak out and demand action. “Armenians feel alone in this,” she explains, noting that her ancestral homeland is a small nation of fewer than 2 million people. “As one of the world’s most powerful countries, the U.S. has a responsibility to help developing nations and to put an end to current and future genocides.”  

During each of her pageant-related appearances and interviews, and through her own social media posts, Ayanian has encouraged others to support the Armenian cause and “put pressure on politicians to demand that the U.S. government stop sending hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to Azerbaijan.” (A bipartisan resolution proposed in the House of Representatives last month would do just that; Ayanian encourages supporters to reach out to their elected officials and ask them to endorse the measure.)

Ayanian’s advocacy began long before she set foot on the Miss Universe stage. The only child of a single mother who “worked two jobs to put food on the table and a roof over our heads,” Ayanian grew up in Burlington, Massachusetts, and began competing in pageants when she was 7 years old. What started out as “a fun summer project for my mom and me” soon evolved into a more serious commitment, Ayanian says, as she realized pageants offered a meaningful way to give back to her community — both in Massachusetts and Armenia.  

In 2013, for example, when she was named Miss Massachusetts’ Outstanding Teen, Ayanian also served as a youth ambassador for Project Bread, a nonprofit organization addressing food insecurity. In 2020, the year she was crowned Miss Boston, she and four childhood friends founded Eye Support to support Artsakh refugees. Initially, the friends made and sold beaded “evil eye” bracelets, donating proceeds to Armenian relief agencies; when COVID struck, however, they expanded their efforts to offer more direct support. 

Ayanian travels to Armenia at least once a year, spending time with refugee families and providing much-needed supplies, ranging from toaster ovens and tea kettles to warm winter clothes, chopped firewood and school supplies. Eye Support has also purchased livestock, of which Ayanian is particularly proud: “We bought chickens for families so the children can have breakfast before going to school.” In the future, she says, they hope to provide each family with a cow, which will allow them to “produce milk and cheese not only for themselves, but to sell in other villages.”  

Her visits to Armenia have been “eye-opening,” Ayanian says, as she’s witnessed firsthand the hardships faced by those displaced by the long-standing conflict with Azerbaijan. But spending time with refugee families has also been inspiring: “I’m amazed by their resilience, by their determination to rebuild their lives and find moments of joy despite the circumstances.”  

That’s why, when Miss Universe pageant officials sent each participant a blank cape to customize and later wear during the swimsuit portion of the event, Ayanian knew exactly what to do: She invited the young girls she’d met during her visits to help her decorate it by writing down, in their own words, what it means to be a woman (see video below). “My goal was to bring the voices of Armenian girls to a global audience,” she explains, “and to carry their strength and positive energy with me as I walked across the stage. I wanted them to see that, as women, we can imagine the impossible for ourselves and our futures.” 

It’s a message that resonates deeply with Ayanian, who has always believed there is no limit to what women can be or achieve. She credits her mother with instilling in her the determination and confidence to pursue her passions: “If I ever doubted myself, she would say, ‘You can do this. You can do anything you set your mind to.’” These encouraging words helped Ayanian, who, at just 5 feet, 2 inches tall, stands significantly shorter than most of her fellow pageant competitors, overcome her initial insecurities to thrive in a space where, she says, “I don’t fit the ‘traditional’ mold.”  

In addition to pageants, Ayanian is an accomplished pianist who has performed dozens of times at New York City’s famed Carnegie Hall — most recently in June, when she played works by Armenian composer Arno Babjanian. As a high school student, she was a reporter for Teen Kids News, a groundbreaking syndicated television show, and was nominated for an Emmy award for her interview with Great Britain’s Prince Edward. An actress, she recently completed her first feature-length film, “Pride Jewel” (now streaming on Amazon Prime), and she walked the runway during New York Fashion Week for Anjali Phougat, a designer focused on sustainable fashion.  

Of all her achievements, however, Ayanian is arguably proudest of the mark she’s making in the business world. “Growing up, I was absolutely fascinated by ‘Shark Tank,’ and could easily envision myself becoming one of the sharks, or investors,” she explains. That’s why she began looking at business schools when it came time for college. During her first visit to Bentley’s campus, she remembers instantly feeling a sense of belonging: “I could see myself thriving there. I loved the smaller class sizes, the rigorous academics and the fact that, within six months of graduation, 99% of students are either employed or starting graduate school.” 

At Bentley, Ayanian double majored in Finance and Liberal Studies: Global Perspectives, with a minor in Information Design and Corporate Communication. “My time at Bentley was truly life-changing for me,” she says, noting that the people she met and connections she made have “completely shaped my life.” After graduating cum laude in 2019, Ayanian began working at Nasdaq, first in the Boston office and later in its New York City headquarters. In her current role as chief of staff to Nasdaq’s chief client officer, Ayanian works to support private companies through their IPO process.  

She has also successfully parlayed her pageant skills into other work-related projects. Last year, Ayanian began hosting “Mission Driven,” a Nasdaq video series highlighting companies that pair purpose and profit to create positive change in their communities. And in January, she began hosting and producing another video series, “Live from MarketSite,” featuring interviews with industry thought leaders and corporate changemakers. “It’s been incredibly rewarding,” she says of the project, which she conceived. “It’s kind of like my own little start-up, and I’m so proud of what our team has achieved thus far.” 

Participating in beauty pageants and working at Nasdaq may seem an unlikely pairing — which is precisely the point Ayanian wants to make. “I cherish being part of an organization that celebrates powerful, purposeful and beautifully confident women,” she says of Miss Universe, “and I want to show young girls and women everywhere that they are capable beyond their wildest dreams. They can compete in pageants and be a force in the business world. They can be glamorous and educated. 

“A lot of people doubted me when I said I would make it to the Miss Universe stage one day,” Ayanian continues. “They said I was too loud, too ambitious, too short, too much. But here I am. And I will continue breaking barriers and proving them wrong.”