As a 12-year-old girl flicking through channels on television Niketa Barker stumbled across a Miss Universe Pageant and from that moment, became enamoured with beauty contests; she also began to receive encouragement from those around her.
Even at that age Niketa had the look of a model—tall and slim—and people began noticing her height and encouraging her to pursue modelling. “As I got older, more and more people told me I looked like a model. But back then I thought never in a million years will I have the courage to ever be able to take any stage or runway for that matter,” she reminisced.
So she enjoyed watching fashion shows and local pageants from the side lines.