EXCLUSIVE: DSNA'S INTERVIEW WITH NEWLY CROWNED MISS IRSA

Okolo Joanna Uchechi Nayna, newly crowned Miss IRSA

The Diplomatic Suites News Agency interviewed the newly crowned Miss IRSA ( International Relations Students Association) and this is what she has to say.

DSNA: Hello, Miss IRSA, you are welcome here, please express yourself freely as we try to give our audience a glimpse of you, your experiences and how you feel being Miss IRSA. I am Isedowo Oluwatosin and with me here is Shereef aka Deen, Aderonke, Mabel and Dora. We are all excited to have you here!

You have just been crowned as the new Miss IRSA and we are happy for you. Can you introduce yourself and everything that encompasses you so your fans can know you better?

Miss IRSA: My name is Okolo Joanna Nayna. I'm a part 1 student of the Department of International Relations. I am from a family of 4. We are just 2 children with me as the only daughter and I have a younger brother. I grew up in the barracks as my dad is a soldier. My mother works with the NPC( National Population Commission). While growing up, I have been a very social and amiable person. Actually, this is not my first time participating in a pageantry. I have contested in a beauty pageant in my secondary school, Nigerian Navy Secondary School, Ojo in which I came out as a winner. I was a day student. I have also contested in Miss Purple Nigeria where I came out fourth.

DSNA: In your previous statement, you mentioned that you have some experience in pageantry. I will like you to give a comparison of the IRSA pageantry contest and the ones you have previously contested in?

Miss IRSA: There are a few differences. The first pageant I participated in, I was just in SSS 1 in my secondary school and it was random. More like a show-off thing, the dress and all.

The second was the Miss Purple Nigeria. It was quite a tough one because we had to do an online voting, sell our tickets and every other thing common to all pageantry contests. So, coming out for the IRSA pageant, I already had the experience. The only difference was that we were not told to sell our tickets.

DSNA: Do you think your experience in other pageantries helped you to win the Miss IRSA?

Miss IRSA: Yes, it did. In fact, most of the questions asked on the stage were what we had previously prepared ourselves for. The last question, what will you do perhaps you win this beauty pageant? is a very normal question asked in all pageantry contests. It really helped because on stage, I knew when to smile and what to do even when people are not in support of you.

DSNA: Did you come across any sort of obstacle or bad energy during the pageantry?

Miss IRSA: Well, I got to know about my flaws after the contest. One of the judges told me that my gown was not the suitable one for a pageant and not ideal for a queen. It was exposing and he told me to be conscious of my dressing.

DSNA: Looking into the experience you had, do you have anything you might want to change or add with the office you are presently in?

Miss IRSA: Before the pageantry contest, many (girls) from the department had the intention of participating but in the long run, quite a number of them deviated. This could have been as a result of being scared, I can't really say precisely. I think exposing their mindset, like having a get together within the department perhaps could embolden their sense of participation in social and academic activities because I know a lot of them had the passion for this but need some sort of confidence.

DSNA: We noticed previous Mr. and Miss IRSA winners do go on to perform humanitarian actions and sometimes setup NGOs, do you have plans for this, if yes, can we know them?

Miss IRSA : With the office I'm holding, I have thought of it but yet to make a decision on a project to embark on, might probably be taking a visit to the orphanage home or helping people or it could be visiting schools, talking and impacting girls particularly but I have this in mind.

DSNA : The former Miss IRSA ushered you in as the new Miss IRSA, how do feel at that particular moment when you were crowned and what can you say about her?

Miss IRSA: First of all, I will commend her beauty, she's beautiful. Everyone has his or her own respective contestant or maybe because I haven't related much with her, I felt she did not relinquish her queenship like she is supposed to, I am not even sure she waited for pictures. In normal pageantries, a queen is expected to joyfully pass her crown to the next person with hugs, kisses even if its fake, but her's was obvious, she just gave the crown with no remarks and walked away, It was obvious she had her own candidate whom she had expected to win the pageantry.

DSNA: So there is politics in beauty pageantry?

Miss IRSA :Yes there is, even in world beauty pageantry.

DSNA: Wow, that is interesting. Let's do a brief recap; During the questioning by the panelists, was there a time you felt like giving up?

Miss IRSA: Honestly, yes, I don't know anywhere on campus, in fact, even till now I don't know anywhere. I'm still a part one student and one of the Judges asked me the name of the Student Union building ( Ken Saro Wiwa Building) and that he needed me to be intellectual while answering the question. At that moment I was befogged and confused. I felt like I have failed, though I was optimistic.

DSNA: Oh, we can only imagine your feelings then. Well, who is your role model?

Miss IRSA: Honestly, my role model is my dad because just like that optimism, he has it and I feel I took after him. It's just the bodily difference because he's quite huge and tall and he's very social and has the belief not to fail.

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DSNA: In terms of your academics, do you have any other extracurricular activities that you have the tendency of joining and how do you intend to balance the demands of your position in terms of stress, your academics and then this as Mr. and Miss IRSA?

Miss IRSA: The truth is, I don't see myself as this bookworm. I came to OAU because I want to learn how to read, I don't like reading, I don't read ahead. I'm a very bright student, I usually come out on top easily back in my previous classes from SSS1-3.

I haven't actually seen one of the extracurricular activities. I used to love music. I like singing and playing instruments but I haven't been able to see any but the stress is already killing. You can't be in this OAU and say that you are not stressed.

DSNA: So you don't like reading?

Miss IRSA: I am not the bookish type but my dad is an instructor, dem no born you well not to read, I just had to sometimes.

DSNA : You don't have a choice...

Miss IRSA: You either read or sleep in the guardroom, because he is a soldier but I still don't know how to read.

DSNA: Smiles, where do you see yourself in the next five years?

Miss IRSA: I see myself doing a lot of things I'll want to achieve, I see myself owning a very big brand name that'll help me a lot and I also want to get married at an early age. In the next five years, I should be in my husband's house.

DSNA: Do you see yourself as this proud type of person?

Miss IRSA: Nope, I wont see myself that way, I feel I am a reserved but jovial person, I was reserved so as to study everyone, I am a very friendly person if you know me very well.

DSNA: Do you have any shout out? Any brand that supported you all through the journey, will you like to mention them? And also, how do you feel about winning the Miss IRSA pageantry?

Miss IRSA: First of all, a big shout out to everyone that participated because it was not easy, I know I even fell sick due to the stress and everything. Shout out to the DOS, she was really good, she knew I gave her a lot of problems, but still she was with me and all the contestants all through and the President that carried the matter on their head so everyone did well and it turned out to be a success.

A shout out to a few of my friends like Doyin ( my number one hype woman) because when I saw the co-contestants, I was like I have competitors, but she was like no worry, we go win am. Then my friends they are not in the department, but they came to support me. And some brands that I knew of and also some sponsors like Elegant wheels, because I told him I wanted to do it , then he said I shouldn’t worry that I should go. I’m just thankful to everyone.

DSNA: How do you feel winning this?

MISS IRSA: I feel so happy , it will give me a lot of opportunities and also benefit me in different ways, asides that it will help me to relate to people and know what I am doing.

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