2012 Miss Johnston County - Bindhu Pamarthi

Bindhu Pamarthi is the daughter of Latha Pamarthi of Chapel Hill, NC. She is a senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she is in the honors program and is double majoring in Political Science and Psychology. At the university Bindhu is actively involved with the Office of Undergraduate Research as an Ambassador and Peer Advisor. She is also a member of the STAND UNC chapter, an anti-genocide activist group, and is a research assistant on the Period of PURPLE Crying project at the Injury Prevention Research Center. During her time at UNC, Bindhu has received the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship, the Class of 1938 Fellowship, and the Mahatma Gandhi Fellowship, to carry out independent research and development initiatives abroad. She serves as a Guardian ad Litem in district 15 B and looks forward to pursuing a degree in law after graduation.

Bindhu’s platform deals with promoting cruelty-free products through raising awareness about the ethical costs of animal testing in the cosmetics industry. In June she will compete for the title of Miss North Carolina at the pageant’s 75th anniversary which will be broadcast, live on television for the first time in over a decade. Bindhu welcomes you to visit her blog at http://roadtomissnc.blogspot.com where she will document her journey forward.

2012 Miss Johnston County's Outstanding Teen - Meredith Kuznar

Meredith Kuznar is the fifteen year old daughter of Monica and Steven Kuznar. She attends Cleveland Highschool where she is a Varsity cheerleader and takes several honors classes. Meredith has competed in pageants since the age of six months old. She has won many titles such as Baby Doll Miss North Carolina, Tiny Miss of America, Tiny Miss Erwin Denim, Little Miss Fayetteville and many others, just to name a few. Meredith has taken dance since the age of two and competes with Dancer’s Workshop of Sanford. She enjoys all forms of dance and acrobatics. She has taken class with Mia Micheals, Brian Freidman, Sanya Tayeah and many others in workshops along the East coast. She has audition and been accepted into the summer program at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts for four summers. She is a Junior Member of Carolina Dance Masters and enjoys competition both with a group and individually.