Miss Black and Gold 2025 Contestants: Irene Okonkwo – WCUQuad.com

Image Credits: Irene Okonkwo on Instagram via @1969royalcourt
I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing fellow African Student Association board member, and Miss Do-It-All-Herself, Irene Okonkwo. Whilst juggling being a part of multiple clubs and a Leadership consultant, Peer mentor at the Dowdy multicultural center and, lastly, an RA. Irene has proven time and time again that there is always room for something else. I’ve known Irene to be an exceptional multi-tasker, while carrying herself with grace. I know all too well the struggles of transitioning from living in West Africa to coming to school in America and experiencing culture shock. Irene is an inspiring leader who is ready to take on the new task of competing for the crown of Miss Black and Gold.
Q: Can you tell us about your background and what motivated you to participate in the Miss Black and Gold pageant?
A: “My name is Irene Okonkwo, I’m a junior majoring in nutrition and dietetics. I’ve always been passionate about creating a community through food. Born and raised in Nigeria and moving to the United States at the age of 13 years. Food was the thing that still made me feel connected to my culture. Covid-19 started less than a year after my family moved to the United States. We started facing food insecurity. My family relied on government assistance in order for my parents to be able to feed five kids. I remember my high school gave away free lunches every week. That was something we depended on a lot during that time. I’m so grateful those resources were available and provided to us. I wanted to participate in the Miss Black and Gold pageant to tell my story and to promote my culture.”
Q: Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. is the oldest intercollegiate historically African American fraternity. What about the fraternity’s legacy do you want to uphold through Miss Black and Gold?
A: “I will uphold the Legacy of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity through promoting academic excellence and advocating for people facing food insecurity. This is because in order to do well in school, nutrition also plays a crucial role in the health, well-being and academic performance of students. I am very big on academics. As a black woman going to a predominantly white institution, academics is one of the ways I try to stand out. I want my fellow melanated kings and queen(s) to also uphold academic excellence and to increase our statistics on graduation rates and GPA rate.”
Q: Alpha Phi Alpha was founded in 1906 to support Black students facing adversity at Cornell. How have you personally overcome adversity in your academic journey?
A: “Moving to the United States, I had to relearn everything. Way of speaking, dressing, acting and had to learn about racism. The adversity I had to face was getting through the negative connotation people in my high school had about Africa. It wasn’t easy getting my voice heard when the people around me made my accent seem undesirable, or that my continent, Africa, was poor and uneducated. Due to this, I was a very quiet kid and didn’t do much in my first high school because I succumbed to the beliefs society told me. Entering college, I knew I wanted to change that narrative. I needed to stop silencing my voice and to show the world that my accent is beautiful and that I will use that accent to promote my African culture.”
Q: How do you balance your academic or professional responsibilities with your role as a contestant?
A: “I’ve been very involved on campus since my first semester of freshman year. I’m very ambitious and that ambition has opened doors for me. I’m very good with time management and I handle my academic and professional responsibilities with balance. I currently serve as president of African Student Association, vice president of Poesis, Leadership consultant, Peer mentor at the Dowdy Multicultural Center and as a resident assistant. I still excel in my classes regardless of my co-curricular and professional responsibilities. I like being able to use my time for something meaningful instead of doing nothing. This is why being involved on campus is something I love doing. As a contestant, I’m still able to fulfill all these roles and still show up to practice.”
Q: What are your future career aspirations, and how do you see yourself contributing to your community or society in that role?
A: “My future career aspirations are to be a registered dietitian and to own my own restaurant. I want to contribute to my community/society because there isn’t a lot of people of color in this field. I want to be able to provide nutrition counseling to the black community. This is because it is something that is often overlooked in our community. I will promote healthy eating while still letting people enjoy the cultural foods they love instead of being shamed for it.”
Q: What social issues do you believe are most pressing for the African American community today, and how can we address them?
A: “The social issues that I believe that are most pressing for African American community today is the deportation issues with ICE. Black migrants are often flagged by ICE, creating a pathway from routine stops to deportation proceedings. According to research and survey reports, once inside ICE detention facilities, the targeting becomes even more severe for Black migrants. This situation affects me because as an African immigrant, I’m in fear of being deported because of my skin color even though I’m a citizen of the United States. People of color are scared to go out in public because of ICE. We can address this issue by continuing to raise awareness on social media and letting people know of any sightings of ICE.”
Q: What initiatives or causes are you passionate about, and how do you plan to promote them during your reign?
A: “I’m passionate about building a community through food. I will also use my knowledge as a nutrition major to educate people about food insecurity on college campuses and to let them know what resources are available to people facing food insecurity, especially during these current times. I want to also reduce the stigma behind food pantries, that way people who are food insecure are more willing to reach out to these resources without the fear of being stigmatized.”
Q: Can you share an experience where you made a significant impact in your community?
A: In my senior year of high school, I was the vice president of the Black Student Union. I knew I wanted to use that platform to promote both African and black American culture. A lot of people weren’t happy about an African person being the vice president. This was because they still had that negative idea about Africa. At the beginning of my position, I took a survey and data showed that people were embarrassed of being black because of their hair or skin color. I found out some of the members were also African but weren’t open about it because of the stigma. This data made me sad. Our hair, skin, being black or African is beautiful and is something we need to show the world does not hide. I needed to change their narrative. I did this through presentations on topics like food, music, culture and movies. We took field trips to African American museums and trips to the movie theaters to see movies that promoted black history. I organized a cultural show and potluck where people represented their culture through food, music and attire. At the end of my position, I took another survey and found out that people wanted to do a DNA test to see if they have African ancestry because it’s something they want to start embracing. They started being more confident in their skin and were also passionate about carrying that lesson to the next members. I was very happy that I was able to change that negative connotation that being black or African was undesirable.”
Q: What is a fun fact about yourself that few people know?
A: “I’ve made food all by myself for a large amount of people (up to 50 people). Cooking is something I love doing and being able to showcase my culture through food brings me joy.”
Q: How would you describe a perfect day for you personally?
A: “A perfect day for me will be the day of the pageant. A day where dreams might come true. A day when I get to compete for the title of Miss Black and Gold with six other amazing ladies. A day when I will be proud of myself for putting myself out there. A day where the little Adaobi will be so proud to see her older self on stage competing in a pageant in the United States.”
Q: What’s one thing about being a contestant for Miss Black and Gold taught you about yourself?
Q: “Miss Black and Gold has taught me that patience is the key to success. Success is not linear, and some days may be good, and some days may be bad. You just have to keep showing up and be patient with yourself and others.”
Q: Who has been helping you through this experience that you want to shout out and why?
A: “I would like to shout out Candice Smith for helping me through this experience. Even something so small such as asking me how I’m doing, if I need help with anything throughout this pageant, always motivating me and being positive has been really beneficial to me. She’s such a light and I’m happy I’m able to experience her brightness.”
Q: Knowing the history of [the] Miss Black and Gold pageant here at WCU is important. Who has been either a notable or significant title holder to you from previous Miss Black and Gold pageants?
A: “A contestant that has been notable to me is Miss Gold 2024 Salea Lawson. This is because the title to her isn’t just about the crown. She upholds the legacy of the fraternity through her actions and involvements on campus.”
Q: What legacy do you hope to leave as Miss Black and Gold?
A: “When I win this pageant, I hope to leave behind a legacy that resilience can birth purpose. I want to leave an impact of leadership, faith and culture. I want to leave a legacy of cultural confidence, to show that being African is not just my identity but is my superpower. I hope to inspire others to embrace where they come from and let their light shine unapologetically.”
At last, I appreciate having such an insightful and engaging conversation with Irene. Definitely eager to see how the entire pageant unfolds. Best of luck to Irene and all the incredible contestants.

Felicia Manful is a fourth-year Biomedical Engineering major. (NABJ’s SGA/MOAB Representative) FM1001289@wcupa.edu
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