Miss Israel Yityish Ayanew on CNN’s African Voices
Born in Ethiopia and of Jewish descent, Yityish moved to the Holy Land at the age of 12 after the death of her mother. She caught the world’s attention last year when she was crowned the first Miss Israel of African descent. Earlier this year, the 21-year-old model met President Obama on his official visit to Israel, after the latter asked for her presence at the state dinner. On CNN Africa Voices, Yityish recalled her conversation with Obama, “I told him he is a person I see as a role model, an inspiration.”
—
*Mebrat Tekle is an OPride.com intern based in the DMV. Follow her blog.