This year, eighty contestants are participating in Miss Universe 2008. Miss Universe is one of the longest running and most prestigious beauty pageants in the world. Every year, hundreds and thousands of woman come to participate in the competition. Winning the competition can really change a woman’s life. Along with name and fame, she receives money as well. Here are the first ten contestants: Miss Ghana:
Name: Miss Yvette Nsiah
Height: 5'7"
Hair color: Brown
Eye color: Brown
Hometown: Accra
Age: 21 years old
Size: 170cm
A major in Africana studies, Miss Ghana, Miss Yvette Nsiah wants to become a recording and performing artist in music and movie. She also plans to become an entrepreneur in the entertainment industry. Miss Yvette Nsiah enjoys singing and writing songs. She believes that music is the world’s greatest communicator and some of the most powerful messages come in the form of songs. She also enjoys experimenting with artistry and fashion.
Miss Mauritius:
Name: Miss Marie-Anne Olivia Carey
Height: 5'7"
Hair Color: Brown
Eye color: Brown
Hometown: Vacoas
Age: 19 years old
Size: 170cm
Miss Mauritius, Miss Marrie-Anne Olivia Carey loves to take care of homeless people with her grandmother. She also enjoys travelling and taking care of animals. Miss Marrie-Anne wants to be a restaurant owner. She wants to manage her own restaurant. Before coming to Miss Universe, she used to be a tomboy. This competition has made her more matured and more feminine.
Miss Nigeria:
Name: Miss Stephanie Oforka
Height: 5'11"
Hair color: Black
Eye color: Brown
Hometown: Anambra state
Age: 20 years old
Size: 180cm
A major in Geology, Miss Nigeria, Miss Stephanie Oforka is interested in helping the abused kids all over the world. She also enjoys dancing, cooking and shopping. Miss Stephanie Oforka wants to become a Geologist. Winning the beauty pageant, Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria was something unique for Stephanie.
Miss Israel:
Name: Miss Shunit Faragi
Height: 5'8"
Hair color: Brown
Eye color: Blue
Hometown: Kiriat-Tivon
Age: 21 years old
Size: 172cm
Miss Israel, Miss Shunit Faragi has many interests but it is dancing she is most interested in. Fore more than ten years, Shunit Faragi studied modern and classical dancing. She also loves sea-shores and enjoys spending lot of time with her family in the water and sun. Shunit Faragi wants to study accountancy next year. Shunit Faragi also served in the Israeli military for two years and she is very proud of that. She worked at the human resources office and learned a lot during her service.
Miss South Africa:Name: Miss Tansey Coetzee
Height: 5'10"
Hair color: Black
Eye color: Brown
Hometown:
JohannesburgAge: 23 years old
Size: 175cm
Miss South Africa, Miss Tansey Coetzee enjoys spending time with charity organizations and introducing her friends and family to these organizations. Miss Tansey also enjoys travelling and wants to learn about different cultures and traditions. She enjoys going on safaris, bunjee jumping, sky diving, white river rafting. Miss Tansey Coetzee wants have a degree in branding. She wants to launch her own fashion brand and modeling school. She also wants to open a dance school for disadvantaged children. 
Miss Tanzania:
Name: Miss Amanda Ole Sulul
Height: 5'6"
Hair color: Black
Eye color: Black
Hometown: Arusha
Age: 20 years old
Size: 172cm
A media major, Miss Tanzania, Miss Amanda Ole Sulul wants to become an actress and a role model for other young women. Miss Amanda enjoys dancing, singing, interacting with different people, sharing ideas, traveling, reading and watching movies. Completing her study in Computer Engineering was her proudest accomplishment. While talking about something unique happening to her, she said that she learned to build a maasai hut from cow dung while visiting her grandfather in the village. She helped him to thatch his hut.
Miss Angola:Name: Miss Lesliana Pereira
Hair color: Brown
Eye color: Brown
Hometown: Mbanza-Kongo
Age: 20 years old
Size: 172cm
Miss Angola Miss Leslina Pereira wants to become a lawyer and then a judge. Miss Leslina enjoys working in publicity and show business production and hanging around with her friends. In order to increase awareness among people about HIV/AIDS, Miss Pereira traveled all over Angola and visited hospitals and met people in need of treatment and attention. It was her proudest accomplishment. During the civil war Miss Pereira survived an airplane crash and escaped an invasion in her city. She wants to know the judges that she is a very hard working person who devotes everything to achieve her goals in life.
Miss Egypt:
Name: Miss Yara Naoum
Height: 5'9"
Hair color: Brown
Eye color: Brown
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 20 years old
Size: 175cm
Miss Egypt, Miss Yara Naoum studied architecture and set designs. She loves to paint and design interiors. She loves acting and acted in some major Egyptian movies. Miss Yara plans to become a big name in the interior design field and have her own company and design sets for cinema. She also enjoys dancing and sea beach. She is very ambitious and hard working and can easily communicate with people from different cultures and backgrounds. Miss Yara Naoum loves her country very much and proud to represent it in one of the most prestigious pageants.
Miss Guatemala:Name: Miss Jennifer Chiong
Height: 5'7"
Hair color: Black
Eye color: Brown
Hometown: Quetzaltenango
Age: 25 years old
Size: 170cm
A communication major, Miss Guatemala, Miss Jennifer Chiong enjoys being a model and a business woman. Miss Jennifer wants open an international modeling agency. Her proudest accomplishment includes receiving a University degree in communication and doing an international modeling on her own merit. Miss Jennifer loves to educate herself about others.
Miss El Salvador:
Name: Miss Rebeca Moreno
Height: 5'3"
Hair color: Brown
Eye color: Green
Hometown: San Salvador
Age: 22 years old
Size: 160cm
A Bachelor in Mathematics, Miss El Salvador, Miss Rebeca Moreno enjoys dancing, watching movies, and spending quality time with her family and friends. Miss Rebeca Moreno wants to work with children to make a difference in their lives. Her proudest accomplishment includes being part of CISV where she learned about other cultures and taught them her own. Three days before her 15th birthday, El Salvador was hit by earthquake. Miss Rebeca helped others who suffered and lost their homes in the quake. During her birthday, she prepared packages for the earthquake survivors.
Source:
Miss Universe 2008 official website
Miss Universe official website
