Agbahovbe Orevaoghene Precious, a recent graduate of Law, is the first runner-up in the Most Beautiful Campus Queen 2023 pageant organised by Campus Model Worldwide. She visited The Nigerian Observer offices in Benin City, Edo State capital, recently and had a chat with Deborah Olorunfemi. Excerpts:
Could you please tell us about yourself?
I am a recent lawyer. I graduated September 2023. I am also the first runner-up in the Most Beautiful Campus Queen 2023. I got my crown in March.
What has the experience been for you?
As regards the pageant, it has been a wonderful experience for me because i have done a lot of things. It has widened my way of thinking, way of behaving. The camping experience, I really learnt a lot; the experience was definitely worth it and I advise anybody who’s willing to go into a modelling career to give it a go.
Are you planning to pursue a career as a lawyer or what would it be for you?
I have no idea because not only am I a lawyer, I am also a hairstylist and a model, so it’s actually a lot in line for me. I cannot say there is a direct path in the way I see myself in the next 10 years, I am just going with whatever I feel works best for me. Definitely I will go to law school, definitely I will pursue my business, so if I can have two out of the three, I am fine. I don’t have a definite set path I want to follow because in this country you can hardly say. Sometimes you just have to go with what life throws at you. if life throws lemon at you, make lemonade, that’s just it.
You received your crown as the first runner-up in the pageant in March. What have you done with this crown within this period? What has been your project?
My pet project is to empower young girls through skill acquisition. As I said, I am a hairstylist, so I wanted to link young ladies with salons that were looking for labour but didn’t have much money. So why don’t we provide them with girls, honest girls that are willing to learn, that are willing to put in the effort? Maybe the salons now pay them a discounted fee, not like they would pay professionals, because the girls are also gaining knowledge. That was my intention for my pet project and I have been working towards that.
How many people have benefitted so far? Could you put a number to it?
It’s not actually a large number. Why? Because a lot of girls are not ready to learn work these days. This generation is into bling bling, they just want to look good, they don’t think much about where they want to be in the next 10, 15 years. So, I can say that I only have three ladies under me who are willing to learn learn the skills.
How easy is it to become a model?
It is not easy actually. First of all, you have to have the God-given looks; there is the height, the body thing, body weight. Basically, the physical looks. But aside from the physical looks, you also have to build a confidence because when you are talking, you have to speak elegantly, and when walking, you have to move gracefully like a lady. So, you have to train yourself. If you are not willing to put effort into yourself, then modelling is not for you. If you are someone that they will tell that you are walking wrongly and you get angry and say you don’t want to work again, modelling is not for you. So, for you to go into modelling, you must be someone who is willing to learn, to listen, to take correction, not just about the body.
How was it combining your studies with modelling? How were you able to do it?
It was very stressful. The pageant happened towards the ending of March, and I had exams in April. So, immediately after I was done with the pageant, I had to start reading because I spent like two weeks for the pageant – about a week in camp and another week preparing for it because my friend was my fashion designer, so I had to be moving around a lot the week before camp. All of that actually affected me because I was in my finals, 500 level. That was my first semester exams in April, so it actually affected me in terms of studying, but the thing is I just had to plan myself. I knew this was the calendar, so January to February I was going to school, making sure my note was up to date, that I had what I needed, no knowledge was fresh to me, and in April I had to start reading. So, January to February I already had information, so what I did was I just took two weeks to prepare for my pageant and immediately after, I came back to ask what I missed instead of starting afresh to read. Everything is just planning. If it is something that’s going to affect your schooling, then you would have to think twice about it.
