Tuesday, February 3, 2009

USP journalist to contest beauty pageant

USP correspondent: Suva, PMC

A former University of the South Pacific journalism graduate and former student editor will represent Fiji in the Miss India Worldwide beauty pageant.

Naziah Ali was one of the top journalism students at USP in her years at the Pacific's regional university. She was editor of the award-winning student training newspaper Wansolwara.

She also won the most promising student and most outstanding graduating student awards at USP’s annual media awards in her first and third year of study.

Divisional head of journalism at USP Shailendra Singh says the journalism school is proud of Ali’s achievements, adding she will make a good ambassador for Fiji.

Ali was also a part-time journalism and theatre arts tutor at USP. She previously worked as a reporter for Fiji Television.

She presented her "I Tatau" (traditional offering) to the President, Ratu Josefa Iloilo, at Government House today.

Speaking in the Ba dialect to seeking the President's blessing, Ali told him this was the first time Fiji would be represented in the pageant

“ Fiji is lucky as this will be the first time the country will be represented in the event,” Ratu Iloilo said.

Ali, whose mother is from Nailaga in Ba, is sponsored by Finance Pacific. She will be among contestants from more than 25 countries participating in the pageant on February 14.

She leaves for Durban, South Africa, tomorrow.

Picture: Naziah Ali with Ratu Iloilo

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