Thanksgiving is a harvest festival celebrated primarily in North America. 38.4 million will travel fifty or more miles from home to consume over 675 million pounds of turkey on Thanksgiving. The day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday,  marks the beginning of the traditional Christmas shopping season when retailer’s profits go from red  (loss) to black (gain).

Miss Costa Rica, Nisa Constantine

Nisa: I am a very down to earth, friendly, unassuming person who is actually quite shy believe it or not.  I do love to meet new people and I am always eager to have new experiences.  I think that natural curiosity and love of learning new things has gone a long way to helping me overcome that shyness.  In fact, that combination of qualities is what has ultimately led me to the MVW finals.  A friend of mine who models contacted me to participate in a photo shoot for a designer.  The designer loved my look and asked me to pose for a number of ads and walk in a fashion show.  I knew nothing of modeling and the thought of being front and center on a runway terrified me.  However, she needed me and I would have a chance to learn and experience something new.  So I enrolled in modeling school and 4 months later here I am!

Kate: Do you have other hobbies or interests in SL? What do you do in your spare time?
Nisa: I love music so I learned how to deejay and I do live broadcasts for 2 internet radio stations.  I love to explore so I spend time traveling the grid, finding beautiful places and collecting LM’s.  I’m now also a chicken farmer thanks to Digit Darkes LOL!  I was shopping in her store a couple of weeks ago and she had a gift out for her customers.  I got it home and it was a Sion chicken egg!  I hatched it and now I’m hooked!
Kate: Can you give the stream URLs for the radio stations? Is there a regular time you broadcast?
Nisa: Oh I sure can.
 
Black Soul Rhythms Radio: 
Saturday 5pm – 7pm SLT
RL:  http://bit.ly/3IMCB6
SL: http://BlackSoulRhythms.neostreams.info:8000

KHNY – HONEY 103:
Wednesday 8am -10am SLT
Friday 6pm-8pm SLT
RL: http://bit.ly/xaYvT
SL: http://apple.neostreams.info:12634

Kate: Tell me more about the styles of music you like. What makes your heart sing and body move? Who are some of your favorite groups or recording artists?
Nisa: I truly love music of all types so I would have to say that music period makes my heart sing and body move.  I listen to just about any and everything.  R&B, NeoSoul, HipHop, World Music, Pop, Rock, Classical there’s even some Country music I like!  Any type of music can make my heart sing especially if I can relate to the lyrics.  I am such a lyrics person!!  Those people who know me best in and out of SL can gauge my mood by the music I play.

Kate: So… let’s switch gears back to the pageant…. you and I have talked about this before, but I think the fans would be interested in your thoughts and feelings about being relatively new to modeling yet thrown into the fast stream and deep currents of MVW!
Nisa: Well to say that this has been a whirlwind would be a huge understatement. It has been challenging to say the least and at times overwhelming. Yet, it has helped me learn so much about myself and I’ve grown as a person due to those challenges
Kate: Yes, I imagine someone on the outside might be very envious of your opportunity without ever understanding how hard you have had to work!
Nisa: Things always seem easier from the outside looking in.  I also think there is a tendency to look at the modeling industry and assume that there’s nothing to it.  I’ve had people ask me how hard it is to dress up in pretty clothes and walk down a runway and back. However, it isn’t as easy as it may appear.  I think we have to be mindful that most things appear easy to do when they are done very well. That is a testament to the skill of the individual walking the runway, taking the photo, writing the article, etc. I think the hardest part of all this was knowing that there were people who had already written me off because I wasn’t well known or as experienced as the other contestants.
Kate:  They were doing you a favor… motivating you!
Nisa: That’s it. It did motivate me.
Kate: So with the finals just a short time away… how do you feel? Have you caught up? Are you ready?
Nisa: I’m very excited about the finals and very happy that the end is near.  I don’t believe that it is ever possible to be “caught up.”  I’m an educator from a family of educators so I’ve always been taught that there is always something to be learned.  There is always room for improvement.  Have my skills improved? Yes, definitely!  Am I the best I can possibly be?  No, absolutely not.  I don’t ever plan to get complacent or rest on my laurels.  There is a poem called “Good, Better, Best” that my parents taught me and that I always teach my students.  My good is better, now I’m working on making my better best which is a lifelong process.
Kate: My music teacher always said perfect practice makes better.
Nisa: lol, exactly.
Kate: Yours is one of the most interesting stories of the finalists to me… what advice would you give to an applicant next year, who is considering entering… but maybe on the fence for one reason or another…
Nisa: Experience is important, but it is not the single most important factor in determining success or failure. I would advise any applicant to follow her dream and her heart.  However, what she lacks in experience she must make up for with her work ethic and willingness to learn.

The Grand Finals for the Miss Virtual World will be held at the Patch Thibaud Auditorium on December 19, Saturday. See you there!

Kate Stockholm is a senior staff writer for Best of Second Life Magazine, a retired SL Mentor and a Miss Virtual World Organization executive. She was last year’s Miss Sweden and winner of Miss Congeniality.