The brothers of the Delta Sigma chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha hosted their annual Miss Black and Gold Scholarship pageant last Thursday. Appropriately titled “Queen of the Jungle”, nine young ladies vied for the coveted crown and title. Students crowded into the Black and Gold room to see the night’s festivities. After seats were no longer available people lined up along the walls just to be able to take a peek at the events to come.
As soon as the lights dimmed, and the classic sounds of Michael Jackson’s “Pretty Young Thing” came on, the contestants graced the stage in their all- white dresses as the opening number commenced.
Filled with energy and vigor the ladies danced across the stage showing their excitement and eagerness to the judges and audience. Afterwards, they finished the opening number with their personal introductions, giving the crowd an insight into who they are.
Up next was the daywear competition where the ladies showcased their savvy business casual attire. One of the highly anticipated events besides the crowning was next, the swimwear portion of the pageant.
Each contestant wowed the audience with their choices of swimwear which complimented the various physiques of the different contestants.
Immediately following, GSU’s Black Dynasty Modeling Troupe entertained the audience with a jungle- themed show that included a thrilling fight scene, captivating dance routine and creative costumes to catch the attention of all.
The talent portion varied from songstresses, rappers, dancers and even young Maya Angelous, showing the range of talent GSU possesses. With every contestant’s performance it brought the audience a little closer into their lives, it was just that intriguing and heartfelt.
Contestants dressed up in elegant formals for the evening gown segment and addressed their platforms. Platforms ranged from topics such as empowering the youth, “recycling” for sickle cell anemia, becoming healthy, building healthy relationships, and teen violence just to name a few.
As the night came to an end, the anticipation had built to an ultimate high. Whispers could be heard all over the building as everyone chatted about their predictions for the next queen.
Before awards could be given out, there was one final segment of the pageant, the answer and question portion. Every lady was given a question to answer concerning her knowledge of currents events affecting the world.
Although the Q&A part of the pageant left much to be desired by many in the audience, a couple of the contestants managed to get through their answers thoroughly, while others either stomped or ran off the stage in total dismay for the thought of not knowing the answers.
The night had finally come to a close and the moment everyone was waiting on had arrived. All nine ladies joined on the stage as the titles were to be announced and awards to be given out.
First up was the award of Miss Congeniality: Elaena Kempt, Talent: Jouelle Young, Academic Excellence: Elaena Kempt, Swimwear: China Spikes and Evening Wear: Arial Hunter, 2nd Runner-Up: Jouelle Young, 1st Runner-Up: Elaena Kempt. And Miss Black and Gold: Arial Hunter.
The brothers of the Delta Sigma chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha ended the night by thanking all their supporters who aided in helping them make the night a success and for everyone attending the special event.