Nabulungi is breathtakingly beautiful; the type of person where you see their selfies and can’t believe you’re not looking at a model. She is tall and slimly built, and it takes a while for her to save up for top surgery even once she gets to the U.S., but people stare (in all the best ways) when she walks into a room. She’s like Lola’s (from Kinky Boots) innocent, sweeter younger sister. Makeup is hard to afford in Northern Uganda, but Mafala did what she could for her daughter, assuring her that she looked lovely anyway. And she did; she has high cheek bones and bright eyes and a sharp nose and an undeniably feminine curve to her lips; hardly anyone in Kitguli questioned when she changed her name to ‘Nabulungi’. Her voice is smooth and deep and soft, and Annie melts when she hears it. Naba is kind and sweet and gentle, and when they watch all of Kay’s Disney movies and Tiana’s character just doesn’t seem to fit, Kay christens her 'Cinderella’ without a thought. She really is their Cinderella, selfless and hopeful and so genuinely good that the other three often ask themselves what they did to deserve her. But she’s practical, too, and down-to-earth; you can’t live in Uganda without becoming so. She keeps the other three together (and from killing each other, sometimes), and makes sure the rent gets paid and the apartment gets cleaned and assignments get turned in and that Connie doesn’t gave a nervous breakdown from trying to micromanage or do all of that on her own. She’s also funny, and definitely the best at puns.
Her weaknesses? She doesn’t show her true feelings often, and nobody will know something is wrong unless they ask. She feels guilty that she gets to enjoy the freedom that America brings, while her friends and family are still in danger in Uganda. She can be selfish in that she doesn’t often explain herself to anyone. She is definitely not a follower, and, like Kay, bristles at being told what to do. She also has some trouble with Western social conventions (which makes for some very, very interesting stories to tell her mother back home).