Miss Ireland Pamela Uba: I grew up in Direct Provision, I've worked for everything I have
Miss Galway Pamela Uba was crowned Miss Ireland 2021 at The Lakeside Manor Hotel in Virginia, Co Cavan two weeks ago.
The past few days have been "different" for Pamela Uba, as she tries to settle into her new role as Miss Ireland. The 25-year-old is still floating above the clouds since being chosen from nearly 300 applicants to represent the nation at this year's Miss World competition. The rain poured down as she was crowned by former representatives during an outdoor ceremony last Sunday, but the former Miss Galway was too overwhelmed to notice.
"It was an absolute dream come true. That's what I was feeling in that moment. I was like 'I've dreamt of this. I didn't think it would happen but it has.'," she says over the phone with a giggle.
Pamela's Miss Ireland journey began in March 2020 when she was crowned Miss Galway just three days before the nation's first lockdown. It wasn't a childhood dream for the GMIT graduate, rather a notion that began to brew after a chance mishap at work.
"The Miss Galway competition was taking place one night in the bar I worked at and one of the judges thought I was a contestant. I was like, 'Wow do they actually think I'm able to do this?'," she says.
She was already a fan of some of the previous Miss Ireland winners, including Cork's Aoife O'Sullivan. "I started to think about all of the other women who have done it and what they have achieved. I looked at Rosanna Davison, Rebecca Maguire and Lauren McDonagh. I absolutely adore Aoife O'Sullivan as well. They're all just amazing and so inspiring to me."
As the first Black woman to win the Miss Ireland competition (Fionnuaghla O'Reilly won Miss Universe Ireland in 2019), Pamela hadn't seen an Irish winner on the Miss World stage that looked like her before. It was even more of a reason to put herself forward for the job.
"I was like 'why can't I also do it?'. I’m proud to be able to be that representation and to show girls that just because you're different, it doesn't mean anything. At the end of the day we're striving for women as a whole, no matter what kind of woman you are."
Pamela was born in South Africa and moved with her family to Ireland at the age of seven. She spent the next ten years living in direct provision with her mother and three younger siblings.
"I was very young when we moved. All I know is that my family's business went bust and it was quite hard to survive without that because we didn’t have the supports that other countries have in place. I was seven years old, my siblings were aged four, three, and two, and my mum couldn't do it. She had to make the decision to move to make sure that her kids had a roof over their heads," Pamela says.
"I know some people may say that South Africa was fine at the time, but there really were only the options of being homeless or moving. I just remember landing here, feeling that it was colder, and being aware that there was no gun violence here."
Pamela settled into life in Ireland quite quickly, which she credits to her young age and her ability to speak English. Her family stayed in the direct provision system until she was in her first year of college.
"Direct provision is very challenging on families and it's a very hard system to grow up in. I would say that the system probably needs to be revamped. You can't leave people like that for years and years, 10 years is a long time," she says. "Initially we were living in a caravan. It was tough. We weren't allowed to work during that time and they didn't change that rule until a year after we got out of direct provision."
Because of this, Pamela struggled when she first started college in Galway. "When I went to college it was a new world. I came into poorer than most college students, I know college is tough on all students but I had no income whatsoever. I did a singing competition at one stage to win €200 for my rent," she says.
"Even though it is hard to think back on all of this, I think it is something that needs to be said so people are more aware. I think we get such a bad name as people from a direct provision background. Some people think we just want handouts but I'm proof that that is not the case. I work for everything I get. I went to college as soon as I could get in and I started working in the HSE before my results even arrived in final year. I did not want to be dependent on anyone and that's how I've always been."
After winning Miss Galway and then entering lockdown, Pamela continued her job in University Hospital Galway's biochemistry department, all while carrying out a vast amount of charity work and completing a masters degree in clinical chemistry online at Trinity College Dublin. She has no plans to quit her work on the frontlines, even with her new title.
"It was a different Miss Galway reign from previous years but I think I made the most of it. In a way, I think it helped me to connect with people even more. I started an Instagram Live series called Real Talk during that time, where we would talk about everything from mental health to confidence, and I was trying to work with local businesses too. I just wanted to help in any way I could to keep that community spirit up.”
It seems like a lot for a 25-year-old to manage, but Pamela shrugs it off. "When I put my mind to something I'll make the time for it somehow. Even with Miss Ireland now, I'm not going to quit my job. I'll find a way to do them both."
As the 73rd Miss Ireland, Pamela thinks that the competition has evolved since its inception in 1948. Even though it launched the careers of Andrea Roche (winner 1998), Rosanna Davison (2003) and Aoife Walsh (2013), the organisation has gotten some stick over the years.
"As the world keeps growing, we always want something different and Miss Ireland has evolved with that. I remember a time when they used to have a swimsuit round, but they removed that on the Miss World level because we don't want to objectify women. We're trying to find women that have a voice and want to be an ambassador for a cause. It's about what's on the inside," Pamela says.
"People also don't realise what a platform such as Miss Ireland does. We raised over €48k this year for various causes - during a pandemic. I've already worked for many charities, like Variety Ireland, and I also worked on an upcycling campaign with the minister for children in Co Mayo. Miss Ireland has raised around €300k for Irish charities overall. People forget these things, but that's what it's all about."
The Miss World competition is taking place in Puerto Rico this year for the whole month of November. Pamela knows that there will be pressure, but is excited about the experience. Just from speaking with her for a short time, it’s clear that win or lose, she won’t be letting anything go to her head.
"I always just try to be my authentic self. The Miss Ireland title is well and good but at the end of the day, I'm still Pamela. I'm a normal girl, and that's who I'm striving to represent. I'm still going to be me, even at Miss World.”
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