Patricia Akuamoah - Miss Malaka 2005

"Every single one of us has the power of greatness because greatness is determined by service to oneself and to others." - Oprah Miss Malaika 2005, Patricia Akuamoah, has good news for all the young men who have eyes on her � she is very single and still searching for a partner. �A lot of people do not believe me when I say it but I really do not have a boyfriend. I have a lot of male friends but not a special male friend I can call my own.� She honestly admitted while smiling charmingly. According to her, her idea of Mr. Right is the kind of man who will not be intimidated by an intelligent, bold and strong African woman. Although she is yet to hit 20, a short 30 minutes chat with her indicated that the young, tall and energetic beauty queen loves to live life with a passion and has a quest to try knew things no matter what it takes. �I am not afraid to try anything new, neither I�m I afraid to fail because I am always ready to learn� was how she described her attitude to life. She is Miss Malaika 2005 but she admits that nothing has really changed about her way of doing things. �I am still the same old, energetic, intelligent and courageous Patricia. The only new thing about me now is that, I have leant to be more dependable, responsibly and have practically matured within my few weeks of taking part in this pageant.� Born to Victoria and Jackson Akuamoah 19 year�s ago in Austria, Patricia spent the first 13 years of her life outside Ghana, her home country. �I lived with my parents in Austria untill I was one year old, then we moved to South Africa where I had my basic and high School education� she told Showbiz. That is not to say she is not a Ghanaian. Her mother, a nurse is a Fante from Apam in the Central Region and her Dad is a doctor who comes from Kwahu in the Eastern Region. While in South Africa, she attended Umtata High School and has been in Ghana ever since she turned 14. Patricia attended SAP School at Teshie Nungua Estate and then proceeded to Archbishop Porter Girls Secondary school where she studied Science as an elective course. Before she was crowned Miss Malaika 2005 at Accra International Conference Centre, on November 5, Patricia said she had always had the love for beauty pageants. But starting off with Miss Malaika was not what she had planned to do. �I knew I would love to be Miss this or Miss that, but I also thought that it would be easier for me to win such pageants by first trying out on a much smaller one on campus. She said, initially, her mum did not approve of her taking part in any beauty pageant. �My mum�s disapproval of me taking part in a beauty pageant was based on two things. First she thought my studies was going to be interrupted and secondly, I was only going to be exploited. So I had to really, really beg her and explain to her that none of those things were ever going to happen and that we were only going to be camping on weekends so there was no way my taking part in Miss Malaika pageant was ever going to affect my studies.� Ironically, it turned out that Tricia�s mother, who was once strongly against her daughter taking part in any beauty pageant, gradually became her coach. �My mum gave me so much support. After every broadcast of our activities in the house on TV3, my mum would always call and tell me of my mistakes and correct and provide solutions to them.� �Like my mum, my Dad and my two sisters, Jacquelin and Jennifer were always there for me. They were ever ready to give me a helping hand.� She said, while her father provided her with informative materials to study, her mum gave her physical coaches � like how to walk better among other things. �And my big sister, oh! She was just wonderful. She said her big sister ensured that she ate three times a day and also made sure that she took all the necessary vitamins that she needed. Even though she does not drive and yet to cruise around town in her brand new, sleek KIA saloon car, Patricia is obviously so much in love with her car. With a spot of excitement that could not be missed by anyone, Patricia said �I started my first driving lesson last Sunday and already, my Dad thinks I am doing very well. Infact I intend to use just ten days to know how to drive. Very soon I will be driving around town and on campus.� Certainly, driving and luxury are not all that come with winning Miss Malaika 2005. There is more ahead. Next year Patricia will be representing Ghana in the Miss Malaika International pageant. When asked if the idea of her taking part in such a bigger pageant does not scare her, she only thought for a while and answered �I believe life itself is scary, just as driving around Circle scares me, I am scared by other things and this is no difference. But like I said, I love to try new things and I�m ready to put in my all to make Ghana proud.� Perhaps influenced by her parent�s profession, Patricia is currently a first year nursing student at the University of Ghana, Legon, and hopes to become an Administrative nurse someday. �You know, even though I love to deal with issues concerning the health of individuals, I really cannot stand the sight of blood. That is why I want to be an Administrative Nurse. Maybe with time, all that will change. She said and giggled. During her leisure time, Tricia said, she loves to sketch and paint. According to her, she loves designing and hopes to become one of the top designers one day. Right from age eight, she earned the title �Miss Ghana� from her family members and friends. �At that time, I noticed that I was really different from my other two sisters. You see, both my young and older sister have round African figures but not me. I am kind of straight and tall. That is why they probably called me �Miss Ghana�� Patricia said she has an insatiable appetite for vanilla ice cream and a passion for rap and Hip Hop music. If she is given the chance to change anything about her performances during the Miss Malaika contest, Patricia said she would not change anything about her performances in the house but will perhaps rap better than she did on stage at the final event.