Abena was born in Ghana to a Ghanaian mother and American father. She hails from a family of 10 siblings. Abena moved to the US together with her family at a tender age of four years. Arriving there life became unbearable due to the constant bullying that forced her to change schools often.
The bullying was so intense that the young Abena had to quit normal school and undergo homeschooling. “I was frequently picked on and told that I was ugly, that my hair was ugly. It made me not believe in myself for a long time”.
The bullying took a toll on Abena’s self-worth for a better part of her childhood. It was not until she was 14 that she decided to face her fears. Abena made a decision to fight bullying and help others in her situation feel better.
Today, Abena is an activist in education where she helps children with special needs. She is also an actress, a singer and a composer.
Abena’s Awards
Abena is a lover of beauty and fashion. It is her interest in the beauty world that pushed her to study fashion. Since her involvement in pageantry the young Abena has won various awards. In 2014 and 2016 Abena emerged the winner in the Miss Universe Ghana and Queen Beauty Universe pageant respectively.
In 2019 Abena managed to get to the top 20 list in the Miss Earth beauty pageant competition. In 2020 Abena brought home the most humbling award, the Miss Grand International 2020. This is what the young lady had to say, “ I accomplished the unthinkable for all the girls that look like me; I want you to know your hair is beautiful, your skin is flawless and that you should wear all of it with pride and grace. We are enough; we are beautiful; we do not have to fit any beauty standards because we set our own”.