Bio Coming Soon!

My name is Naomy Rodrigues and I hail from the picturesque Republic of Cabo Verde. I was born and raised in Praia and, like most students, attended a local public, academic institution. When I was 17 years old my parents took a chance and moved all the way across the Atlantic to the USA, in hopes of providing better educational and economic opportunities for us. This transition came with many challenges including assimilating to the culture, learning English, making friends, understanding the educational system, and so much more. But I didn’t let these challenges stop me. Instead, I used them as motivation to persevere. Through hard work and dedication, I graduated top of my class with honors in both high school and college. During that time I also got involved in several honor societies, campus government bodies, clubs, and organizations. One that stands out the most is “Little Crowns”, a non-profit dedicated to providing academic resources to children.   The exposure to the educational resources and opportunities freely available in the States opened my eyes to the deficit in my own country. Thus, it became a life goal of mine to create a scholarship to sponsor students and school-building projects geared towards making education accessible and affordable to all. The dream is to create a fund called the “Rodrigues Scholarship.” This scholarship will aid economically disadvantaged families and communities by offering resources such as tuition assistance, meals, uniforms, and school supplies. The Miss Africa USA platform is a great opportunity to launch this life changing initiative. As the Queen, I plan to use this platform to present this project to the world, obtain resources and support. My Dad is an educator and he instilled in us from a young age that the brain is the strongest weapon. Therefore I am committed to making this a reality, and the crown will give me the scepter to execute the vision and begin this mission of equipping our young leaders for a better tomorrow.

Congolese-born American Amini Bonane is a Harvard educated community organizer, cultural bridge builder, and champion for women & girls. Under God’s divine providence, Amini chose a professional career democratizing access to the technology industry. Her 9-5 is being a manager in the Civic technology industry; serving customers in over 110 countries, from individuals stepping into leadership for the first time, to the heads of political parties, international networks, Top 100 charities, and Fortune 500 companies.  Amini’s 5-9 is being the proud founder & Chief Empowerment Officer of Brains Then Beauty: a nonprofit organization she created in 2018 that supports the academic, professional, and personal development of young women through service, mentorship, and leadership training. Amini also holds a fellowship with Ignite National— and she is an active member of the African Women Council, African Immigrant Caucus, CCWM USA, and The Nobel Peace Prize nominating organization WILPF.      Amini’s undergraduate studies focused on the interdisciplinary connections between finance, philosophy, and law; to combat the lack of representation for women leaders in business and government. To quote her hero Michelle Obama, “No country can ever truly flourish, if it stifles the potential of its women, and deprives itself of the contributions of half of its citizens.” Amini agrees with former First Lady Michelle Obama in principle and in action so much so that Amini’s tireless work as a previous pageant titleholder has been officially recognized via proclamation, by the 3-term current Mayor (& future governor) of DC, The Honorable Muriel Bowser. Her work also landed Amini on the Leadership Center for Excellence 40 Under 40 List, enabled her to become a 2x Tedx speaker, and led Amini’s story of perseverance to be featured many times on TV networks such as ABC, CBS, FoxSoul, radio programs such as The Steve Harvey Morning Show, and numerous print publications including Leading Ladies Africa. If entrusted with the prestigious title of Miss Africa USA 2023, Amini will use her award-winning expertise in advocacy to: meet with elected officials, amplify the voices of grassroots organizers, and empower disenfranchised people across the diaspora.      From Reactive To Proactive is the title of Amini’s platform, and it also describes the overall theme of her reign. In addition to her local community involvement in the DMV—  finalist Amini Bonane has already begun the work it takes to make a global difference; starting by creating a petition to World Bank to restore funding to areas desperately in need of care. Forbes Africa has invited Amini to attend the 2023 Leading Women Summit in South Africa. Amini has also been approved by the UN Secretariat, to represent her platform as a Miss Africa USA delegate, at the international United Nations RP23 Conference. If selected for the honor, Amini will continue to harness the power of the 15th Miss Africa USA crown, by partnering with her extensive network to start a disaster prevention fund of $100,000; that will provide direct relief for the victims of the Mount Nyiragongo eruption. Amini visited her ancestral home in Eastern Congo in 2015, and witnessed first-hand the destruction from lack of funding, transparency, and awareness. She promised the locals that one day she would return to help them, and with the support of The Miss Africa USA Organization, making history as the 1st ever Queen from DRC, Amini will keep that promise.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TU_Pc8W-eiY