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UGPulse Promo
School/Institution: Pepperdine University
Major/minor: Integrated Marketing & Communications
Giving back:
- Allen Renaissance Inc.- Sisters of Vision- Act as a mentor young girls in the areas of personal and academic development
- Intel Computer Clubhouse- Assisting youth in developing computer skills and field trip chaperon
- Pacific Northwest Kenyan Association- Kenyan Youth Coordinator/ High School College Counselor
- Hidden Lake Adult Family Home- Assisting adult family home with various projects
- AVID Mentor- Advancement Via Individual Determination
Five-Year Aspirational Plan: In 5 years I see myself establishing and running a successful East African based advertising Agency. I hope to use new media as a way to evoke social change around the world! The impact I will have made in my community is personally mentoring and motivating youth to become dynamic leaders by pursuing higher education and achieving college success! I will use my advertising agency to promote this mission!
Country you are representing: Kenya.
Platform: "My Africa is Beautiful" is a campaign that seeks to overcome the image of hopelessness in a 21st century Africa by providing empowerment through access to educational opportunities, leadership and economic development for youth in Kenya's Individual Displaced Person (IDP) Camps.
UGPulse: Oprah emotionally calling it quits- marketing strategy or reading too much into it.
Oprah's recent announcement to bring her 25 year reign as the Queen of talk show TV to an end has created a lot of buzz in the media. Regardless of whether or not it is a marketing strategy, Oprah is one of the most influential female leaders of our lifetime! So naturally people are always looking out to see what she is going to do next. When I think of Oprah she is an extraordinary example of someone who is not only successful, but significant! Her world wide audience admires who she is, the quality programming that she had provided for so many years and the major contributions that she has made to society especially as a philanthropic humanitarian.
One thing Oprah said about her decision to bring her show to a close was, "This show has been my life. And I love it enough to know when its time to say goodbye." Oprah knows her audience and I respect the fact that she knows when its time to make her graceful transition to move forward. It is only natural that this phenomenal woman continues to evolve as exemplified by her O.W.N. - Oprah Winfrey Network.
Contestant Angela Wambui Muiruri from Kenya.
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.
I love Kenyan food! If I had to choose one food to represent my country it would be ugali. Ugali is made out of maize flour (cornmeal) and served with a side dish of either meat stew or vegetables. On the Miss Africa cooking segment I would accompany my ugali with sukuma wiki. Sukuma wiki is a leafy green (similar to collard greens) and is very popular in East African dishes. Ugali and sukuma wiki are a staple food in Kenyan culture. This meal is like the equivalent of burger and fries in America, but healthier. It is very common, affordable, quick to make and tasty to eat with any side dish of your choice and a food that is universal to all people of Kenya regardless of ethnic background or class.
Ugali is prepared by mixing maize flour with boiling water to form a pasty semi-firm mixture. The key to making good ugali is constantly stirring the maize flour to avoid having lumps of unmixed cornmeal form. Once the ugali becomes semi-firm lower the heat, take a plate and cover it to cook for about 20-30 minutes. While that is cooking start preparing the sukuma wiki stew. First, wash your sukuma wiki well and then slice them into fine small pieces. Sautee the greens with onions and Machuzi Mix (a common everyday spice used in most Kenyan households) let it cook for bit and finally add tomatoes as it finishes cooking. Check to see if the ugali is ready, once it's complete cover the pot with a plate and flip it upside down so the ugali can form its shape. After a few minutes uncover the ugali and enjoy! This dish does not require forks or knives so break off a piece of ugali and a scoop of sukuma wiki with each bite!
Contestant Angela Wambui Muiruri from Kenya.
UGPulse: The current Miss Africa USA, 2008 Miss South Africa Nyasha Zimucha, has elevated the pageant to a whole new level. The game has changed in a big way. What would you bring to the pageant at the get-go, if you were to win Miss Africa USA 2010?
As Miss Africa USA 2010, I would continue building upon the contributions that Nyasha has made to this organization, while adding emphasis to developing the future leaders of Africa. The one thing that I love most about the Miss Africa USA Scholarship Pageant is that it makes the African woman of the 21st Century visible. I think it is so important to have visible leaders for our community and especially for the youth. One program that I would bring to the pageant is a big sister little sister program to link our youth with African women in the Diaspora that share the same passion and vision to develop the future of our generation. The concept of "each one, teach one", making it our personal obligation to teach our youth how to be leaders and develop their natural strengths and talents. We must teach our young brothers and sisters the importance of embracing the best of both worlds, by investing in our youth now and planting the seed of change for a better Africa!
UGPulse: Do you Tweet or Facebook? Are you addicted? How do you avoid becoming addicted to these social tools?
I have both a Facebook and Twitter account, but I am more of a "Facebooker"! Do I check my Facebook everyday? Yes, but I wouldn't say that I am addicted. I just like to stay up to date with what going on around the world. Almost everyone has a Facebook these days…The other day I found out that my great Aunt Sophia who lives all the way in the Shags of Kenya, has a Facebook account! Now great Aunt Sophia has a Facebook, it just makes me realize the power of social networking and the way it has changed the way we interact. Facebook has become the one stop hub for updates on current events, the ability to upload pictures makes your feel like you never miss a beat with what's going on in your friends and families lives. It has become a place of open forum and so much more. The ability to communicate and stay connected whether you are in the big city of New York or on the outskirts of Nairobi reflects the beauty of technology.
While Facebook has become integrated into our modern forms of communication, there is a growing concern for a new trend coined as Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD). Even though this is still not an official diagnosis researchers say that there are increasing reports of individuals that are show signs of internet addiction, specifically as it relates to Facebook. Like most activities, I believe that moderation and integration is the key to preventing addiction. By making the choice to utilize social networking sites responsibly as constructive tools Facebook can be an asset, rather than a distraction or addiction.
Contestant Angela Wambui Muiruri from Kenya.
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