Twenty-one-year-old Nigerian princess Onome Aberare felt the rush of emotion as she was proclaimed Miss Young International 2008 at the end of a three-week exhibition of pageantry, adventure, and style. This astonishing moment marked the highpoint of her career as a model and was tribute to the dedication she has shown in the months and years running up to this prestigious contest.

‘I could not believe it,’ said Onome. “When I heard my name as the winner of Miss Young International 2008, I just looked around at the others to check that my ears were not lying to me. I have been dreaming of this moment since I was a child and now the work has paid off. This really is a dream come true. I am so proud for my family and for my country Nigeria.

To win Miss Young International 2008 crown is such a great opportunity and I truly intend to do my best to represent the title with honour.”

In one of life’s coincidences, Ms Aberare embraces her sash and crown tiara as Miss Young International 2008 exactly six months to the day after winning the Miss Young Nigeria title pageant contest as Miss Young Abuja 2008 – the title that set her on the road to the success she has achieved today Onome Aberare – ‘one of the most simple and intelligent woman of her generation’ - hails from the city of Abuja in the capital of Nigeria, where she grew up with her parents and siblings. For the past year she has been living in the country’s capital Abuja and central part of the province of Lagos.

While enjoying the Lagos notorious shopping and nightlife like any other young woman, Onome is also the outdoors type of girl and likes to take time to get out of the city in search of new gadgets in the latest technology. Her favorites include surfing the net, blogging, and chatting with her friends and family members. As testament to Onome’s commitment to anything she sets her mind to, she trained long and hard to achieve this peak of excellence, including three months of preparation for the world finals in the Philippines.

“I knew that winning this title was what I have been working towards for many years and so I had to focus all my efforts on achieving that goal,’ she said. One of Onome’s greatest achievements before winning Miss Young International 2008 was a charity day with the less fortunate children in Nigeria. She also participated in different exposition and conferences for children.

“I love the art of working for the children’s rights, the culture and customs that surround it. “To me, if you are going to do something, you should enjoy it in the best way possible. That includes how you work hard, enjoy and the experience is really amazing and this will make you a better person. As with many things in life, a large part of the enjoyment is in the experience.”

She also modelled extensively in his native Nigeria and across Africa, including catwalk and photographic assignments for international brands. In recent years, her work as an international model and TV presenter has taken her around Africa and beyond, visiting countries including Belgium, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Egypt, Italy, Malta, South Africa, Peru and Puerto Rico. Travelling the world has also helped hone her language skills, and she now speaks little of Spanish, Italian and Chinese-Mandarin.

Despite the pressures, hectic schedules and the seemingly daunting task ahead of her, she is determined to plunge head on in her pursuit of the Miss Young International title. “I believe that if you really want something, you have to give it your 100%,” she says with a beguiling smile. Constantly thankful for the privilege of being a beauty queen and as a working. She also dreams of becoming a well-known TV presenter and a media personality.

As the epitome of a modern woman in hher generation, Onome Aberare loves getting her hands dirty in as much as in the field helping the needy specially poor children around the world. She said: “I love to help. It is an art and very creative.