Crowning Glory… Meet Miss Namibia 2014, Brumhilda Ochs

A grounded, humble young woman, Brumhilda Ochs was the toast of Namibia on Saturday when she was crowned Miss Namibia 2014. The Country Club roared with applause as she received the crown from her predecessor.

The moment she was crowned, a million thoughts went through her head. “It was crazy! I thought of how my life had just changed in an instant, about how happy my family and friends were. Walking off that stage named as Miss Namibia was going to mark a new beginning for me.”

Born in Usakos, Brumhilda was raised in Okahandja by a single mother and her grandparents. She started her basic education in Okahandja, completing high school in the same town. Despite her humble upbringing, Brumhilda says that the family never wanted for anything.

“Growing up, things weren’t always great but my grandparents and mother always did their best to provide for me,” she says.

She describes herself as a reserved, obedient, happy and playful child. This obedience and grounded upbringing were going to help her in future experiences such as her stint as a waitress. “Working as a waitress was quite an interesting job. One got to meet and experience people with such different personalities. It is also one of those jobs where you can get easily distracted. I always tried my best to keep focussed on why I was doing the job as well as being professional yet friendly at all times.”

Her beauty and grace was clearly evident from early on. She took part in quite a few pageants and after taking some time off from the life of tiaras, she went on to be crowned Miss University of Namibia School of Medicine in 2013.

“Being part of pageants is not always as easy as it may look and so Miss School of Medicine really helped me get comfortable with being on stage again.”

Clearly, she was ready. The judges were so satisfied with her overall performance and her response to the judges’ question. She remains confident in her response and wouldn’t change it given the chance. “Being asked a random question in front of hundreds of people as well as being on live television is not always easy. Whenever I’m asked a question I always give my genuine opinion.”

With many supporters cheering for her as she was crowned, her biggest supporters, she says, were her mother, pastor, aunt and friends.

Being very passionate about young girls, Brumhilda hopes to work closely with projects that advance the girl child but she also wants to work with the elderly, who she feels are also largely in need. With her being a beauty with brains kind of girl, the perfect combination of humility and a warm heart, how will she ensure a memorable year of reign? “[By] working at everything I do wholeheartedly and not merely for public recognition.”

We cannot wait to see what the year has in store for this young woman who says she just loves her pap and never goes a day without a smile on her face.