Mamé Adjei

Mamé Adjei is a Ghanaian-American woman who is best known for winning Miss Maryland USA in 2015, and then going on to participate in Miss USA 2015, where she ranked as the fourth runner-up. Adjei also participated in cycle 22 of America's Next Top Model, and ultimately placed second to winner Nyle DiMarco.

Background

Adjei was born in the African nation of Ghana to diplomat parents. At the age of nine, she relocated to the United States with her aunt and uncle. She settled in Silver Spring, Maryland, and went on to attend Virginia Commonwealth University. She earned bachelor of arts degrees in political science and Africana studies in May 2014, and minored in business administration. Adjei aspires to work in international humanitarian law.

Pageants

In 2014, Adjei won the title of Miss Maryland USA 2015. She used the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe to fundraise money for pageant costs. Before entering the competition, Adjei had never competed in a pageant. After winning the title, Adjei went on to compete at Miss USA 2015 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She was acknowledged as "acing the swimsuit and evening gown competitions." During the question portion of the competition, Adjei stated that she believed the reopening of the Embassy of Cuba in Washington, D.C. would be a positive change for both countries, and that she would like to see Oprah Winfrey on the United States ten-dollar bill. Adjei ultimately placed as the fourth runner-up, and the winner was Olivia Jordan from Oklahoma.

Modeling

Adjei's modeling career began at age 16. She modeled professionally in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and New York City. On her Instagram page, Adjei describes herself as more of an avant-garde and editorial model. While acting as Miss Maryland USA, Adjei was chosen to be a contestant on America's Next Top Model cycle 22, which was filmed before Miss USA 2015. During her time on the show, she highlighted her strained relationship with her parents, but only casually mentions her status as Miss Maryland. Adjei won five challenges in total throughout the competition, including a posing challenge with the Property Brothers, a Zappos Couture salon-style runway challenge, and a Vine challenge to serve as a public service announcement for STEM. She also received two first callouts, was never in the bottom two and in the semi-finals, she was chosen as the last remaining female contestant over competitor Lacey Rogers. However, cycle 22 was won by Nyle DiMarco, the show's first deaf contestant, and Adjei was the first runner-up.