Erica Nego


Erica Yayra Nego is an American-Ghanaian beauty queen, model and businesswoman, elected Miss Universe Ghana in 2011 and Miss Minnesota USA in 2009. Nego is also the co-founder of Style & Grace, a Minneapolis-based etiquette academy.

Early life

At the age of 12 Nego was signed to Ford Modeling Agency. She is of Ghanaian, German and Persian ancestry.

Pageants

As Miss Minnesota USA 2009, Nego competed at Miss USA 2009 placing in the top 15 at the competition. She also competed at Miss Universe 2011 in São Paulo, Brazil on September 12, 2011.

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, and the controversy around colorism that this contest sparked.