The Bel Air Independence Day Committee has named Shyama Bhatt Miss Bel Air Independence Day 2022. Here are the details provided by the committee:

Shyama Bhatt Selected as Miss Bel Air 2022
NIH Post-Bac Fellow Seeks to Redress Health-Care Disparities; Will Compete for Title of Miss Maryland
BEL AIR, MARCH 18, 2022: The Bel Air Independence Day Committee, Inc., announces that Shyama Bhatt is the new Miss Bel Air Independence Day 2022. Bhatt was chosen through an interview process from interested applicants, and succeeds Chiamaka Ezeonyebuchi, who held the title for 2 years, due to a COVID-extension.
“I can’t remember a year when we had a more diverse or more exceptionally-qualified group of contestants for the position of Miss Bel Air,” says Michael Blum, chairperson of the Miss Bel Air Selection Committee. “We were very impressed by everyone we met in the process, and it was extremely difficult to choose one winner. We were totally amazed at the breadth and depth of commitment to our society and its betterment shown by our candidates, especially by Ms. Bhatt. She was the best of a very high-achieving pool,” Blum concludes.
In addition to Blum and Ms. Ezeonyebuchi, the Selection Committee included Don Stewart, President of the Bel Air Independence Day Committee, and Board members Perry Thompson, Lisa Williams and David Williams.
Shyama Bhatt, a resident of Bethesda, Maryland, is currently a NIH Post-Baccalaureate Fellow in Neurosurgery, and an NIH Fellow in Health Disparities, analyzing the health-care disparities experienced by minorities and lower socio-economic groups. A summa cum laude graduate of Wayne State University, Shyama will enter the Wayne State University School of Medicine in 2023, with the goal of becoming a neurosurgeon.
Ms. Bhatt has received many awards, including the Seal of Bi-literacy in Spanish and Native Proficiency in Gujarati and Hindi, and has received over $25,000 in scholarship awards, including the Women of Wayne Scholarship and the Mark and Arlene Christensen Endowed Scholarship for Math and Science Students.
Ms. Bhatt’s platform in the Miss Maryland Competition is Addressing Health-Care Disparities, and her talent is Classical Indian Dance.
Shyama Bhatt, the 12th consecutive title holder and familiarly known as “Miss Bel Air,” will serve as official hostess and participant in one of the region’s largest 4th of July celebrations, taking place from dawn to night on Monday, July 4, 2022, in Bel Air, Maryland. Miss Bel Air will also help promote the event to the Town of Bel Air Commissioners, the Harford County Council, and the citizens of greater Bel Air and Harford County, Maryland.
Events on Independence Day in Bel Air traditionally include the flag-raising at 6:45 am on July 4 in front of Bel Air High School, and the various family-friendly functions during the day, including the traditional competitive events such as the Water-Balloon Toss, Uncle Sam Says, and the Watermelon Eating Contest. Patriotic flag ceremonies are held in all the day’s locations, including Shamrock Park, Rockfield Park and Town Hall. Finally, Miss Bel Air 2022, as Honorary Grand Marshall, leads the parade down Main Street in Bel Air at 6 pm. Fireworks at about 9:30 pm conclude the day.
Miss Bel Air may also appear at or in official or charitable events throughout the calendar year, including the Bel Air Kite Festival on April 9, 2022, the Harford County Farm Fair in late July, and the annual Town of Bel Air Christmas Parade on December 4, 2022. She competes for the title of Miss Maryland at the annual Miss Maryland Competition, held in late June, 2022.