Born in 1995, Umutoni is the first born in a family of four children and is currently pursuing a degree in business management at Rwanda Tourism University College (RTUC).

Umutoni beat nine female contestants to take home the ‘Miss Elegancy Rwanda 2016’ Crown and credits her confidence for the win.

"We were several girls and I still can’t believe that I won. The only thing which I think helped me to make it, is because the grueling training that I went through and I did what I was asked to, with confidence,” she says.

Umutoni says that at first, she was not sure if she would fit but her experience from watching so many beauty contests and other fashion shows from a tender age gave her some courage.

Umutoni notes that the journey was long, but she was happy to have learnt a lot.

"It required a lot of learning and practicing, but it was a great experience. We learnt public speaking, how to treat the people you meet for the first time, and cat-walking among other things,” she notes.

Apart from the money and other prizes that she received, Umutoni feels that this is also a chance to explore different opportunities. 

"One of the things I have in mind is to start up an initiative to help vulnerable girls and mothers, teaching them about health issues,” she explained.

Besides the money, the two winners will travel to Belgium where the organisers promised to help them connect with the youth in that country and share ideas.

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