Miss Nigeria in America Delegates!!!

When we started the Miss Nigeria in America Pageant, it was our intention to promote awareness about the Nigerian Culture and also create female ambassadors that will forge on a new Nigeria. One of our objective, "Identifying Nigerian women in the US who exemplify beauty, talent, supremacy and intelligence and aim to create new role models who through the beauty pageant will serve as ambassadors that will define a new Nigeria, enrich the beauty of the Nigerian Woman and enhance a new strength, energy and spirit for the advancement of women," is what we live by!!

We smile every time we get an email from former delegates on their new initiatives and achievements.. We smile every time the Miss Nigeria America 2004, 2006 and 2007 email us with new things they want to accomplish. When we feel overwhelmed, it is these emails that uplift us. So in retrospect, we say: Thank you all for supporting us, thank you for taking the extra step in helping the less fortunate, thank you for your commitment to mankind and a big thank you for believing in us. You do us proud and we commend you.

Below is a partial list of our winners and delegates who continue to make us proud:

Winners
Peace Amadi - Miss Nigeria in America 2007 - Project Whole with [Arrows of God Orphanage, Lagos Nigeria]
Leslie Ibeanusi - Miss Nigeria in America 2004/2005 - Making Noise, Inc.www.livethenoise.org

Delegates
Martha Nwosu - Miss Ekiti 2007 - Selected delegate to UN to meet up with representatives from some of the most undeveloped countries in Africa, which include Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Gambia, Togo, & Senegal, and will spearhead her platform which creates awareness for Autism in Nigeria.
Eunice Omole - Miss Abia 2007 -The Apprentice Africa
www.theapprenticeafrica.com/c_eunice.php
Chioma Dike - Miss Bauchi 2007 CEO/Founder CDEMM - An Arts and Diplomacy Group
Yvonne Orji - Miss Taraba 2006 - Successful Comedian www.myspace.com/yvonneorji
Mfonobong Essiet - Miss Abia 2004 - She is the current Miss Africa USA www.missafricaunitedstates.com
Peace Udechukwu - Miss Oyo 2004/Ruby Udeh - Miss Osun 2004/
Amara Udeh- Miss Yobe 2004 - They own A.N.G.E.L.S
Assisting Nigerian Girls in Education, Leadership and Sisterhood
This is a non-profit organization striving to better educate young woman in Nigeria. We aim to promote and enhance the educational morale of woman by providing financial assistance and leadership skills.
Zainab Agoro - Miss Enugu 2004 Recording Artist www.myspace.com/mszaina

Like we mentioned, this is just a partial list. We will keep you informed of new initiatives that these delegates come up with.

Thank you once again for your support and watch out for great things from the Miss Nigeria in America Organization!

Kenneth Emeson/ChiChi Dike
MNIA, Inc.
Beverly Hills, CA
www.missnigeriainamerica.org

Keep Breathing - By Martha Nwosu -Miss Ekiti 2007

This month, we introduce Martha Nwosu - Miss Ekiti 2007 who emerged the 1st Runner up in the 2007 Miss Nigeria in America Beauty Pageant. Martha writes inspirational poetry and her work will be featured continuosly on the blog. Read Martha's biography in her own words and enjoy her first poem - Keep Breathing

Born on May 15, 1987, second of twin girls having arrived six minutes later, I still share an equal leadership role as the oldest child in my family of six children. I currently attend St. John’s University in New York, New York where I am majoring in psychology with a minor in sociology. In addition to studying the mind and society, I am an ardent lover of music from all diverse walks of life, a leader in many others, and a staunch advocate for children with special needs. I am a people’s person, skillful and multi- talented. I am also gifted with a strong call to acceptance and loyalty along with a sense of renewal of reaching out to others for peaceful co-existence and restoring or furthering unification. I am currently part of four multi-cultural organizations at my university, two of which I hold executive positions.
As a member of Pan- African Caribbean Students Association (PACSA), I am the executive secretary and I maintain membership in the Latin American Students Organization (L.A.S.O.). I hosted a fashion show called, “Fashions Around the World” in November 2006. Although I held the title of event coordinator, my strength was expanded with my fellow leaders on the executive board as we worked side by side. I was blessed to perform at numerous campus events with the Magnificat Gospel Choir of the Staten Island Campus of St. Johns University, which included the Opening year Mass, The Women’s History Month Dedication mass, and I was chosen to perform the National Anthem at the 2007 Commencement Ceremony at St. John’s University Staten Island Campus. In addition to my vocal talents, I also tutored young children at a halfway house under an organization called Project Hospitality on Thursdays from October to December 2006.
As an advocate for children with special needs, I dedicate my mind to thoughts on how to make the world a better place, starting with my country Nigeria. Now as I see it, there is a curiosity and a level of interest on the part of a lot of people who are my age to make a difference in our country, Nigeria. I stand strong and tall today with a positive disposition toward the cause of children with special needs. The blessing of a tight-knit family has provided me with a strong support network enabling me to focus on advocating for their rights-equality of opportunity for children with and without disabilities with strong emphasis on advancing the cause of children with special needs. My dedication and perseverance are my major motivators for goals I aspire to reach personally and socially.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us”. Of course, in order for the quote to fully manifest itself within my life, I would need to find myself. I know who I am; a voice for the voiceless. For me this would become the most rewarding task I would ever encounter. In the early stages my life, I chose to take the back seat while my twin sister took the spotlight. As years went on, I began to evolve with my own identity, which would later establish an equally balanced bond between my sister and me. Now I am a young lady growing into a beautiful woman, I am allowing my identity and achievements as a twin to expand and evolve into a foundation for my strength, grace, and beauty.

Keep Breathing by Martha Nwosu - Miss Ekiti 2007

Inhale, exhale
Take in, let out
A breath of fresh air that has been trapped in your lungs for the longest time
Passage ways freely flowing with pain and guilt and aguish all at once
Still balanced by freedom and happiness and pride of knowing
That YOU did it
You spoke up for yourself
You stood strong for who you are
Because you love
Love a lot
Love to little
Love a bit more
Love just enough
To say NO
Not this time
Not again
Not back here where we always are and end up being
I want more
I want a life of no repetition
A life free of sameness and indifference
A life with you who I know and appreciate
A life with us
A life with love and patience and kindness and truth
All wrapped in with the calmness in Knowing we did it
We grew past our problems and issues
Nothing can break us now
Because we tried something different and we love it
I love it
I love me for finding that strength in myself to be aware of what i need to do
I had to do it
I needed to do it
I must do it
Because in doing it
I am breathing
I can breathe
I keep breathing and in that I am Living
I am speaking
I am growing
I am Me
I am WHAT I am
Who I am
So for all these reasons, I keep breathing
Inhale & Exhale

By Martha Nwosu - Miss Ekiti 2007