Erica Yayra Nego (born c. 1984 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an American-Ghanaian businesswoman, model and beauty pageant titleholder. She was elected Miss Minnesota USA 2009 and Miss Universe Ghana 2011,[1][2][3]
Erica Nego | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | c. 1984 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Nationality | American  Ghanaian  |
| Other names | Yayra Nego |
| Citizenship | America Ghana |
| Known for |
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Nego is the co-founder of Style & Grace, a Minneapolis-based etiquette academy.[4][5]
Early life
Nego was born in about 1984 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[6][7][8] At the age of 12, she was signed to Ford Modeling Agency.[citation needed] She is of Ghanaian,[9] German and Persian ancestry.[10]
Pageants
As Miss Minnesota USA 2009, Nego competed at Miss USA 2009 placing in the top 15 at the competition.[1] She also competed at Miss Universe 2011 in São Paulo, Brazil on September 12, 2011.[11]
In popular culture
The play School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play by Jocelyn Bioh was inspired by the 2011 Miss Universe Ghana competition in which Nego participated,[12][13] and the controversy around colorism that this contest sparked.[14]