Snit Tewoldemedhin is about to make history again. This time, she is taking Eritrea to the Miss World stage for the very first time.
Eritrea will make its debut at the 75th edition of the pageant, which will be held in Vietnam from August 9 to September 5, 2026. With that debut, Eritrea becomes the 185th country to join the long-running international competition.
But for Snit, 27, this is not her first history-making moment. She was born and raised in Asmara, Eritrea’s highland capital, a city known for its wide boulevards, Italian-era architecture, and cool mountain air. In 2019, she moved to the United States, where she built a new chapter of her life.
She studied neuroscience at George Mason University in Virginia, worked as a Montessori preschool teacher while completing her degree, and today speaks five languages.
Woman of many firsts
Her journey through international pageantry has been filled with firsts. In 2023, she became the first Eritrean ever to be crowned Miss Africa USA. A year later, she became the first woman to represent Eritrea at Miss Universe, where she was recognised as a Voice for Change Silver Finalist for her advocacy work. Now, as the first Miss World Eritrea, she is once again opening a door that had never been opened before.
And her mission goes far beyond pageantry. Snit says her inspiration comes from two deeply personal experiences: her younger sister, who has a learning disability, and her mother, who died from breast cancer.
Watching her sister navigate the education system shaped her commitment to inclusive learning and equal opportunity for every child. Losing her mother pushed her to become an advocate for breast cancer awareness, with a focus on prevention and early detection.
During her reign as Miss Africa USA, she founded the non-profit organisation Designing for Diversity. The initiative works to reduce stigma around intellectual and developmental disabilities across Africa and provides educational materials that help children strengthen literacy and mathematics skills. Her Miss World Beauty With a Purpose project continues that same focus on disability inclusion and access to education.
Break barriers
Snit’s story is also the story of a country stepping onto a new global stage. Eritrea, a nation of fewer than four million people on the Red Sea coast in the Horn of Africa, is making its first appearance at Miss World three decades after gaining independence in 1993. Now, one young woman from Asmara is carrying that flag into an entirely different arena.
Africa has won the Miss World crown five times, with South Africa claiming three titles, while Egypt and Nigeria have won once each. Snit draws inspiration from Nigeria’s Agbani Darego, who in 2001 became the first Black African woman to win Miss World.
Whether or not she brings the crown home, Snit Tewoldemedhin has already achieved something significant.
Through education, advocacy, and representation, she is showing that a young woman from Asmara can break barriers, create opportunities, and inspire people across Africa and the diaspora. And in doing so, she is expanding the story of what is possible for Eritrea on the world stage.
