Miss Universe India finalist pivots to tech career at Google

Umanga Kumawat, who reached the top-20 round of the Miss Universe India 2026 competition, has opted to step away from the glamour industry to focus on her technology career. Following the pageant's finale in Jaipur, the Madhya Pradesh-based contestant relocated to Bangalore to take up a position as a cloud engineer with Google.

Kumawat's decision reflects a growing trend among Indian women to prioritize professional development and career advancement in high-demand sectors such as cloud computing and software engineering. Her transition from the pageant circuit to the corporate technology sector underscores the shifting priorities among young professionals in India.

The 25-year-old is now based at Google's Bangalore office, where she works in the company's cloud engineering division. Her career move comes as the technology sector continues to attract talent from diverse backgrounds across India, with major tech companies actively recruiting skilled professionals for roles in emerging technology domains.

Kumawat's choice to pursue a conventional nine-to-five corporate career demonstrates that participation in beauty pageants need not be a stepping stone to entertainment or modeling careers, with many finalists choosing alternative professional paths that align with their personal ambitions and skill sets.