Who will walk the runway during New York Fashion Week and win $20,000? You decide.
Dr. Joyce Onyenedum
Must finish first in their group to advance to the Finals.
Voting for this round ends on September 3, 2026 at 10:00 PM EDT
About Dr. Joyce Onyenedum
A few words to describe me: NYU Professor, Botanist, Native New Yorker, Child of Immigrants, Dog Mom and Dedicated Wife. After 33 years of healing, this year, I have finally arrived— embracing my unique voice and beauty. I’m ready to be seen ❤️
Learn More About Dr. Joyce Onyenedum
What makes you the Next Runway Star?
My secret sauce is gratitude and my mission in life is to spread JOY. Its quite literally my name. This mission is particularly important now in this time of war, political rife, and economic struggle. I wish to be the Next Runway Star to share this joy, bring smiles to people's faces, and signal the often overlooked but transformative message that life truly is a blessing.
What would this once in a lifetime experience mean to you and why?
It took me nearly 33 years to finally step into my truest and highest self. I have spent the past seven years on an a spiritual, physical, and emotional transformation and I have never been more grateful than I am right now. I want the glow that is radiating inside of me to be shared with others–– the perfect place to do so is the runway!
What are you most proud of about yourself or what have you overcome and why?
I am most proud of my loyalty and commitment to be my weird self! I took a path uncharted–– studying plant sciences in college, which at the time was risky business, but through my absolute love for plants, thirst for knowledge, I thrived in the academic journey. Today, I am blessed to be a university professor , where I share my passion for plants, lead a team of brilliant researchers, and even create botany content for social media to draw in a larger audience to simply slow down and smell the flowers!
What would you do with the $20,000 cash prize?
This is an EASY answer! I would use this cash prize to advance my labs research revealing the hidden biodiversity of wildlife in New York City! My team has launched a new an exciting project to understand how the most common trees in NYC provide a refuge for wildlife–– these efforts will be used to better inform street tree plantings in urban centers.
Content from Dr. Joyce Onyenedum
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