contesting for Miss Nigeria-USA. At 19, still studying Health Science
at Queenborough Collage in the United States of America, she already
runs a pet project - Dera Unity and Cultural Foundation (DUC
Foundation), with offices in America and Nigeria. She is Cassandra
Chidera Adaeze Iwule, an indigene of Oboh in Isiala Mbano LGA in Imo
State. Born in Lagos to Chief and Chief Mrs. Ben Iwule, she emerged
victorious at the beauty pageant which held at Radisson Hotel JFK,
Queens, New York in August, 2014.
In this interview, she tells Sunday Sun, among other issues, that she
had returned to Nigeria to present her crown to the first Lady of Imo
State, also to touch the lives of widows and less privileged.
According to her, she encountered all sorts of calculated attempts to
rob her of victory, adding that, "God still showed that he who He has
blessed, no one can curse."
How does it feel to emerge the Ada Imo-USA and why are you in Nigeria?
It feels great and the crown means every- thing to me. It testifies
that my people love me. But it also means greater responsibilities
because as a commissioned ambassador of my people, all eyes will
henceforth be on me. So, I'm back home, however, to present the crown
to the First Lady of Imo State and also touch the lives of widows and
the less privileged because it is not just about wearing the crown,
but more about what you have to offer. Every crown comes with its
responsibilities and challenges. That is why it is said that there is
no crown without a cross. As a queen, you have to be more careful
about what you do, what you say or wear and your general comportment -
everything about you.
Will the crown change your dress code or any other thing about you?
You know that with the crown, some people will start looking up to you
as their role model and molder. So, heavens will be displeased if you
lead such people astray in any way. For instance, a queen is not sup-
posed to be arrogant, no matter the level of provocation. She should
always wear a smile even in the midst of agony. She is expected to be
polite, honest and responsible and always available to attend to
people's needs to the best of her ability. I have never been
associated with wearing crazy dresses. Now having the crown makes me
even more conscious of what I wear and about my general lifestyle.
As an Imo queen, how much are you at home with your culture - your
language, local delicacies and the likes?
I love my culture a lot. In fact, in the US, I'm known as a cultural
person. I regularly wear our local fabrics over there and even prepare
our local delicacies for my family and friends. I grew up at home and
I deeply appreciate my mother who taught me how to prepare our local
delicacies.
What hurdles did you cross be- fore clinching the crown?
I went through several hurdles. First, many of the contestants, their
parents and sponsors saw the contest as a do-or-die affair, but I was
reluctant to participate in the competition. But my mother encouraged
me to give it a try. I did and the result is this crown you are seeing
now. I encountered a lot of hurdles - in-house and external. But the
one that threw me off balance was when my designer failed to deliver
the dress I planned to use for the competition. I had decided to back
out but my mother prevailed on me to push on. So, I had to use an old
dress - over- sized ones for that matter, just to fulfill all
righteousness. We took them to a dressmaker to shape them to my size.
Incidentally, they were dresses that I had received as presents and
never valued. But amazingly, it pleased God to honour me with victory.
And I think that God had good reasons to compensate me with the crown
because I even lost my job along the line. So, my mother sat me down
and counseled me, telling me that in life, one must pay a price one
way or the other in pursuit of every good cause.
What will you not do to become famous?
Never get too desperate for fame. Just put in your best and believe in
God. You do not have to trade with your body or sleep with any man in
order to achieve anything. Some people get too desperate for fame and
would do anything to get to the top. But the fact about life is that
if God wants you to be something, He will always help you to get there
whether your family has a name in the society or not. That is what is
called divine connection. No matter the number of people that try to
pull you down or stand on your path of progress, once you have divine
connection, all their ef- forts will be in vain. Your enemies will
even work for you unknowingly.
READ MORE HERE:
http://sunnewsonline.com/new/?p=101718
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