Every year, millions watch the Miss International Pageant to see the representatives of different countries fight for a title that symbolizes beauty and philanthropy. This year, UB students and staff watching the pageant might see a familiar face.
Maika Nakaoka, a senior business administration major, is in the national competition to become the Miss International ambassador for Japan. The position will entail cross-cultural communication and interaction with other foreign ministries around the world.
Nakaoka has already beat significant odds by surviving tough competition against 5,000 other Japanese women, despite this being her first pageant ever.
"It's going to be me, if someone [falls] on stage," Nakaoka said. "Everyone else is a model or actress and because of that I get a lot of pressure."
According to Nakaoka, the disadvantages she faces as an inexperienced competitor became apparent during the weeklong training seminar. The seminar was designed to provide training to all the contestants.
"Everyone already knew how to show themselves on stage," Nakaoka said. "They were really elegant and gorgeous when they were walking."
Nakaoka remembers being scolded by an adviser hired to better the walks of the contestants in the pageant. She admits that her mistakes during the seminar kept photographers from focusing their lenses on her.
To keep herself motivated in the competition, Nakaoka said she kept a smile on her face throughout much of the competition. Conservative judges, however, took her constant smiling as a sign that she was not taking the competition seriously.
"Even though at first I was really nervous, I decided to enjoy my time and enjoy this opportunity since it is not really an ordinary experience that everybody has," Nakaoka said. "In the end it became okay but in the middle, I had a lot of difficulties."
Nakaoka's initial interest in the pageant came from a suggestion of a family friend who recognized her long-time intrigue with other cultures and her quest to teach about her own traditions.
During summers in high school, Nakaoka would attend international school in Britain. It was there that she learned the importance of culture.
"I realized that it is really important to know the culture before I learn only the language" she said. "Without knowing the culture you cannot communicate with people properly and that's why I think that it's really important to know the cross-cultural communication."
Although Nakaoka initially attended UB's sister school Konan University in Japan, she transferred to UB after being enticed by the cultural diversity on campus.
"When I came here I met so many international people and I was really surprised about the diversity of the students," Nakaoka said. "I tried to communicate with as many people as I could in order to meet people and teach Japanese culture."
She now handles public relations for the Japanese Student Association and finds it rewarding to meet and work with people from around the world, yet challenging to teach her own country's culture.
Her fame may be limited on UB campuses, but the support and warmth shown by friends and members of the community give her encouragement.
Nakaoka will fly back to Japan for the final competition for the Miss International Japanese ambassador for 2009 on Oct. 25. She is among 35 finalists.
Pictures and a brief statement by Nakaoka and other contestants can be found on the pageant Web site: www.miss-international.us/. Votes can be cast online until Oct. 15.
