Ruth Jennifer Ondo Mouchita will represent Gabon at the 2013 Miss Universe Beauty pageant.
According to the official Miss Universe website, Ondo Mouchita grew up on a farm in Bidougui Village with her grandmother. During her early life, the 20-year-old learned how to raise crops, catch fish, dance and sing. The beauty queen lists philanthropy, advocating for women and providing aid to the homeless among her passions.
She is currently a student at Santa Monica College and also serves as the National Representative for the Miss Universe Gabon National Committee.
"My role model is Madame Malika Bongo, the president of the Miss Universe Gabon National Committee, because she helped me realize my dreams and taught me the value of giving back to my community," she is listed as saying according to the official Miss Universe website.
She has also stated that she would love to meet U.S. President Barack Obama and dreams of being the President of the Constitutional Court in her country. Her favorite native meal is "feuilles de Manioc, a cassava leaf prepared with peanut butter and served with smoked fish."
The Miss Universe beauty pageant will be held at Crocus City Hall in Moscow Russia on Nov. 9, 2013. Current title holder Olivia Culpo will place the crown on the head of her successor. Culpo, a Rhode Island native, was recently involved in a legal problem after a Miss Universe photo shoot at the Taj Mahal in India.