Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, along with her four brothers and sisters, Oluchi Onweagba never gave a single thought to modeling, engaging instead in normal adolescent activities such as ping pong and tennis.Everything changed, however, once she entered and won a South African television network's Face of Africa beauty contest. Oluchi suddenly found herself being wooed by various modeling agencies.She eventually signed a three-year contract with the prestigious Elite agency, and soon found herself traveling around the world to appear in ad campaigns for companies such as Gap, Banana Republic and Victoria's Secret.
Go to ImageShack® to Create your own Slideshow Oluchi even made an appearance in the 2005 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition; she was so popular that she was asked to return for the 2006 issue.But Oluchi, not content to be known as just another pretty face, has already begun preparing for a life beyond modeling. She recently received an associate's degree in business organization and management from NYU, and plans to take more business classes in the future.For now, though, it's safe to say that Oluchi's future lies on the catwalk: "I think I reflect a lot of African beauty. I am African. And I am beautiful."
