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UGPulse Promo
School/Institution: Florida A&M University
Major/minor: Broadcast Journalism minoring in Elementary Education
Giving back: I volunteered with the Police Academy of West Palm Beach, FL for children's recreation and less-fortunate programs for 4 years. During my time there I served as a cheerleading/dance instructor, and helped raise funds and collect toys, books and clothes for children who were in need and less fortunate. It was my passion and my calling to help these children in need , and I enjoyed every minute of it! I also volunteered at a local elementary & middle school in West Palm Beach, Fl where I assisted children with a variety of things including school work and after-school activities and reading books to kindergarten and first grade students for 6 years.
Five-year Aspiation Plan: Five years from now, I see my self being a successful Entertainment news reporter and an Inspirational Activist empowering women & children in the U.S and Africa about education, health and equality.I will be a role model to everyone especially young girls & women all over the world.
Country you are representing: Nigeria.
Platform: I want to improve the food and library systems in children's schools in Africa.
Contestant Abieyuwa Aikhionbare from Nigeria.
UGPulse: Tell us about the country you represent? Are all its women as beautiful as yourself?
I am extremely proud to say that I represent the wonderful industrious country of Nigeria! A country that is not only a beautiful place, but a country that is full of beautiful intelligent women who come in all shapes and sizes and a variety of radiant beautiful skin tones. All of the women of Nigeria exemplify our country's motto; "Unity and Faith, Peace and progress". However, I cannot isolate Nigeria and forget about the other beautiful women of Africa. Africa as a whole is bursting with beautiful women. When I say beautiful I'm am referring to the outside as well as the inside.
At first glance of an African woman, it is hard not to notice their unique and exotic look, Nevertheless, after briefly getting to know an African woman, you will notice that they are equally as beautiful on the inside being that they are very genuine, loving, caring and sincere. Whom do we have to thank for this? Without doubt we have our beautiful mothers and their beautiful mothers and so on and so forth to thank for this. For as far back as it can be dated, the women of Africa continue to produce immaculate, stunning, glorious, intellectual and hard working women. By the grace of god, our generation of African women will continue to fabricate stunning African women who will shine amongst others All over the world!
UGPulse: Oprah emotionally calling it quits - Marketing strategy or is that reading too much into it?
I strongly believe that Oprah called it quits because deep in her heart she felt like the time was right. In no way whatsoever do I think it was a marketing strategy. As I watched Oprah emotionally address her fans on her decision to end her talk show, my heart went out to her. I believe she was so emotional because she honestly put her blood, sweat and tears into her show on a daily basis. Oprah served her purpose of having an exceptionally successful talk show that touched the lives of people across the world. Her talk show ran nationally for almost 25 years and she was the first African-American woman to become a billionaire as well as the first and only woman in history to own and produce her own talk show. In addition to her talk show, she also has her own production company and is co-founder of Oxygen Media Networks, not to mention her love for Africa that led her to build an all-girls school in South Africa in order to provide them with more educational opportunities.
With that being said, it is not enough to say that Oprah is simply successful. She is extremely blessed. A woman of her stature would not need to pull a marketing strategy to grasp the attention of others. She is truly an inspirational and powerful woman who has made her mark on this earth. For those who feel like it was merely a marketing strategy, I urge you to reflect on Oprah's life and many achievements and re-evaluate your opinions. Despite the fact that The Oprah Winfrey show is coming to an end, I firmly believe that Oprah will not be away from the public light. I assume that she wants to focus and expand on her many projects and continue being the true humanitarian that she is. She is positively one of my role models and I hope to one day follow in her footsteps to inspire and help the world one day at a time.
UGPulse: What do men say is the sexiest thing about you?
I find it very intriguing that men feel like my charisma and ambitiousness are the sexiest things about me. It is very comforting to know that men can approach me on a mature level and look beyond my physical features. I am very ambitious about life and achieving my goals. Any man who can understand and accept that just might get some respect from me. Nothing compares to getting to know a woman for who she is on the inside and what she stands for in life.
Contestant Abieyuwa Aikhionbare from Nigeria.
I strongly believe that, positivity and the way a woman carries herself can classify them as being beautiful. Although compliments from the opposite sex can be pleasing, it is very necessary for women to love themselves for who they are. Always remember that beauty comes from within.
UGPulse: If Miss Africa USA had a cooking segment, what would you cook to represent your country and walk through the process of cooking involved preparing your chosen dish.
Although my country has many delicious dishes, one of my favorites is white rice and stew with dodo(ripe plantains) on the side. This is one of the most popular dishes and is eaten not only in Nigeria but in other African countries as well.
To prepare the rice, pour enough rice into a pot depending on how many people you are cooking for. Next, wash the rice 2 to 3 times and put it on the stove to boil for about 30 minutes.
For the meat of the stew, wash and clean the meat of your choice. I personally love to use a mixture of chicken, beef and smoked turkey. After the meat is clean put it in a pot on the stove and slice onions on top of the meat and season it with seasoning salt, onion powder, chicken and beef seasoning and also ground red pepper and a little bit of curry powder. Let it boil for about 30 minutes and then remove the meat from the pot and save the seasoned water from the meat, then put the meat in a pan and bake it in the oven until the meat it slightly brown and a little dry.
For the stew, blend fresh tomatoes, red peppers, green peppers and onions together in the blender until it is smooth. In the pot that you are going to prepare the stew in, put a little bit of oil inside and fry some fresh onions. Afterwards add some canned tomatoes paste and let it cook for a few minutes and then pour in the blended tomatoes, peppers and onions. You can also add some canned tomato sauce if you like. Stir everything together and let the stew cook for about 15 minutes and then add in the meat and let it cook for another 15 to 20 minutes.
As for the dodo, I personally like to slice them at an angle into medium diamond shape pieces. Next, I slightly season the dodo with light salt and I deep fry them until they are brown. Enjoy the finishing product by eating the rice with stew and meat on top and the dodo on the side. This meal never lets me down and always has me satisfied with a smile on my face.
Contestant Abieyuwa Aikhionbare from Nigeria.
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