Luxembourg's Nicola to meet Obama

A teacher at the European School who was last year crowned International Rose winner is to meet US President Barack Obama at the White House for St Patrick's day next week.

Nicola McEvoy, who last August put Luxembourg on the map when she won the International Rose of Tralee contest in Ireland, has spent the last seven months travelling the world promoting Ireland and doing charity work.

But the highlight of her year is still to come after she received an emailed invitation from the White House asking her to meet the President.

“It's a huge honour to be chosen and to stand in the same room as Obama. Hopefully, I will get to shake hands with him,” Nicola told wort.lu/en at the Luxembourg Rose Ball on Saturday.

The young teacher will take a week off work to travel to New York to participate in the St Patrick's Parade next week. She has been invited to have breakfast with New York mayor Michael Bloomberg before travelling to the White House. Her jam-packed schedule allows her two free days to explore the "city that never sleeps" before heading to Chernobyl, a week later with 13 other Roses. There, the girls will present funds they have raised for a children's mental health institution.

Nicola retains her International Rose title until the next contest in August this year. She said she will be on the panel of judges at next year's Luxembourg Rose Ball.