Windhoek
The young and ambitious Namibian beauty, who is also a University of Namibia (Unam) student, Pakkala Ashipala, 21, added two titles to her name when she scooped the Miss Pub 7 and Miss Nahota over the weekend.
The delighted Ashipala could not contain her excitement saying she felt honoured and blessed in winning two titles in just one weekend (Friday and Saturday), taking her title count to nine.
She says since that since she is the ambassador of Pub 7, which is a new establishment, she will market it through “different processes”. “I believe that marketing is the backbone of any business. For it to thrive and reach its optimum level, consumers are of utmost significance and consumers can only support a business when they are well acquainted with its existence. I will do this through the word of mouth marketing method and through social media.”
According to her, modeling is not a career but a sport. “It is just something I enjoy and something that is close to my heart. In fact, I walk modeling. Some people might call it a bad habit but I call it my trademark.”
She started modeling in 2009 by taking part in small beauty pageants.
“I had many weaknesses in modeling back then, however I acknowledged them, worked on them and strengthened them. Today, I don’t have any weaknesses in modeling; in fact I am a champion now. Some people might find modeling cheap and morally debasing but that is because they are closed minded,” she says, adding that modeling fosters friendships and builds participants’ confidence and self-esteem. “It instills public speaking skills in the participants, promotes charity work and it is a source of entertainment. So what is life without entertainment? There is more to life than just being busy and serious. We all need time to relax, have a good time and be merry,” she says.
So far Ashipala has won Miss Epata 2011, Miss Science Walvis Bay 2012, Miss Ongwediva Trade Fair 2014, Miss Ondangwa 2014 and 2015, Miss Ongenga 2014, Miss Pub BOB 2014, Miss Pub 7 2015 and Miss Nahota 2015.
“I would also like to take this platform to market the Ongenga Youth Expo which will start on December 27, until December 31. The expo is a complement of Vision 2030. I would therefore like to encourage everyone to attend the expo in support of the Ongenga Trade Fair and I will be crowning the new Miss Ongenga at the expo,” she says.