Naa Okailey Shooter — Crowned Miss Ghana at birth

By Rebecca Kwei
Running around playfully as a child at La, a suburb of Accra, Laverne Carranzar Naa Okailey Shooter often brushed aside frequent references by playmates and adults to her as “Miss Ghana” due to her physique, beauty and poise.
What had been treated as a joke eventually manifested at the Accra International Conference Centre last Saturday, November 10 when the 22-year-old Level 400 student of the University of Ghana Medical School, who is affectionately called Carra, was crowned Miss Ghana 2012.
“I knew Carra was special when the doctor handed her over to me after birth. She was the most beautiful baby I had seen and I said to myself right there that she would be Miss Ghana one day. That was 22 years ago and it has happened,” the elated mother of Miss Ghana 2012, Ms Mary Mensah, a journalist with the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), said.
Ms Mensah vividly recalled that she was in Sixth Form when she got pregnant and did not know what to do.
In her confusion, she contemplated several actions, but with her mother’s support, she had a safe delivery and was able to continue her education.
“Carra’s grandmother, the late Madam Matilda Lankai Ago, took care of her till I was in a position to take over and I remember my mum telling me she would be a prominent person in future,” Ms Mensah recollected.
Although everyone called Carra “Miss Ghana” she (Carra) was not too keen about participating in the coveted pageant, in spite of the encouragement from her mum and her friends to do so.
Her mum was, therefore, shocked when Carra asked her to pick Miss Ghana 2012 registration forms for her, since all Carra had seemed to care about was to become a doctor and save lives.
Ms Mensah described Carra as very respectful, helpful and compassionate person but “she is also strong-willed, has a mind of her own and if she sets her mind on something, she does it”.
“I believe Carra will be the first Ghanaian beauty queen to bring the Miss World crown to Ghana,” an optimistic Ms Mensah said.
Born to Captain Desirer Shooter (retd) and Ms Mensah on July 9, 1990, Carra attended Achimota Primary School and Junior High School and continued at the Mfantsiman Girls’ High School, Saltpond, where she was the Second Deputy Senior Prefect, the Public Relations Officer of the Science Club, as well as the Organising Secretary of the National Union of Baptist Students during the 2007/2008 academic year.
She entered the University of Ghana, Legon, in 2009 to pursue a course in Biological Sciences and proceeded to the Medical School in 2010.
Carra has three siblings — Chelsea, Runstedt and Xander Shooter.
“I’m overwhelmed, excited but most of all very humbled by the support I’ve received from Ghana and other parts of the world,” Miss Ghana 2012 said in a telephone interview.
She never dreamt of being crowned Miss Ghana, although while she was growing up people had referred to her as such.
“I used to have a funny perception about beauty pageants. I thought the contestants were being exploited, but having carefully examined this year’s Miss Ghana message of “Beauty With a Purpose”, I decided to give it a try,” she explained.
And she did not disappoint, as, apart from receiving the ultimate prize, she also bagged the Miss Eloquence and Miss Top Model awards.
Interestingly, Carra had a six-week modelling course at the Exopa Modelling School after senior high school and was adjudged the top model for that year after her course.
According to her, she chose the buruli ulcer project after watching a documentary on the disease in class and realising that the disease had become endemic mainly due to ignorance.
“After some research on the disease, I got to know that Ghana is the second most endemic country after Cote d’Ivoire. There is the need for more information and education to win the war against buruli ulcer and that is what I have tasked myself to do,” she explained.
Organisers of the Miss Ghana 2012 pageant have three thematic areas that the top three winners are required to work around. Since she is already a medical student, the overall winner is tackling health issues that will reach Ghanaians at every level.
The first runner-up, Nadia Ntanu, will deal with the environment, while the second runner-up, Jennifer Annan, will look at child labour.
Being an effective Miss Ghana is a demanding task and so Carra has decided to defer her course at the medical school for a year to enable her to devote maximum attention to the Miss Ghana assignment.
She aspires to become a self-employed paediatrician in future.
She will represent Ghana at next year’s Miss World contest to be held in Indonesia.
“I believe that next year is a year for Africa, specifically Ghana. I’m hopeful of bringing the title to Ghana,” she confidently said.
“I did not own a make-up bag and did not know what a concealer or foundation was before entering the Miss Ghana contest,” Carra confessed. “The grooming sessions were wide-ranging and they have made a tremendous impact on my life.”
Her advice to all young ladies is that they should firmly set their minds on specific visions and work very hard to realise them.