Miss Independence BOT50 speaks
Spira Tlhankane | Thursday October 6, 2016 14:35
The beautiful and poised Neo Cindy Sebogodi was crowned on September 23, 2016 at the grand finale held at Cresta Lodge.
Being a young lady who is driven by her passion for beauty pageants, Sebogodi did not stop at nothing to win the meaningful crown. In an interview with Showbiz, the 21-year-old beauty queen from Goodhope said she always had the love for pageants from an early age.
She said she decided to take part in the celebrations because she wanted to learn more about Botswana. “I was also aiming to win but I knew it was going to be tough because I was facing tough competition from the other contestants,” she said. Sebogodi said she wanted to be a role model and idol no wonder she did not hesitate to take part in the beauty pageant. “Beauty pageants help the youth to preserve our culture and keep our sense of identity,” she said.
Sebogodi further told Showbiz that she would use the Miss Independence BOT50 title to be a voice of the voiceless and disseminate information to the relevant people. She added that winning will now give her a platform to help the underprivileged. She said when she joined the pageant she was alone but as the competition continued she managed to empower other people.
Looking back Sebogodi said it was her seventh pageant and she managed to win four in the past. Last year she took part in Miss Botswana and she went as far as the top 16. “ I didn’t get discouraged after Miss Botswana; I benefited from the whole experience,” she said. Sebogodi said she gained a lot of confidence, which in way helped her to win her current title. She said the whole journey was a great experience. “I had to work hard and I wanted to know our values and roots as Batswana,” she said.
The confident beauty queen said now she can stand in front of people and talk about her country and culture. “With God it was possible. I believe that if we put our minds to something eventually we will succeed,” she highlighted. She said she will carry on the BOT50 pride towards the next 50-years.
She said the youth should work towards their talents. “Beauty pageants are growing and if we groom younger girls then we will have a bigger industry in the future,” she said. She also begged companies to start injecting money into beauty pageants to motivate people to participate. She said now that she has won the crown, all eyes would be on her. “I have to make a difference in people’s lives,” she said.