The Crowning of a Queen - Meet Derby Chukwudi Miss NJ USA 2023
•Posted on March 20 2023
THE CROWNING OF A NEW JERSEY QUEEN
Derby Chukwudi
It's no secret that bad ass women are what rock our wild little world here at Mint. Meeting, styling and watching other successful women rise to the top is what keeps us motivated to work smarter and keeps us inspired.
When our paths collided and the opportunity arose to style/photograph the Nigerian beauty I was overwhelmed with excitement because I knew we were going to make magic together. We shot this story the week leading up to the Miss NJ pageant so the energy was radiant and blissful, just like her magnetic spirit. It's almost like she knew she was going to win and I projected that through the styling. Once we started shooting, I knew the Crown was hers. This petite beauty story captures her brilliant inner light and her extraordinary beauty.
Derby wears a 1960s pearl tiara, 1980s fresh water pearl choker, 80s earrings, 1940s marabou capelet
Derby wears a y2k leather Badgley Mischka gold leather skirt suit, vintage 80s jewelry
Derby wears earrings by Anna Cri, vintage 60s bow headband and marabou crop top available here
Derby Chukwudi was crowned Miss NJ USA 2023 over the weekend on March 18th. Born in Dallas, Texas, the beauty queen grew up between the USA and Lagos & Abuja Nigeria. She attended Berea College and double majored in Economics and Business with a concentration in Finance. She is a 1st generation Nigerian-American who came to New York to work for JP Morgan and has climbed the ranks of a male dominated business to achieve her title of Global Investment Strategist.
Her impressive wall street credentials and natural beauty make her a bonafide Finance Beauty Queen in our books.
Derby was born Sept 22nd and is a Virgo.
Derby's piece of advice for young women starting their investment portfolio: Start soon and start small. Even it's $5 a day that you save, over time it adds up. You can really achieve big dreams by saving a little every paycheck or every month. Find an investment platform that works for you and use it. I used Robinhood when I was in college. Allow it to help you allocate your funds in investments you like. Speak to a financial advisor at your bank. They are there to help you and guide you in the right financial direction.
Thank you Derby for taking the time to vibe with us!
We can't wait to see where the road takes you next! We will be cheering you on the whole way!