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Miss Sophomore sheds light on experience in Royal Court life

Miss Sophomore Jada Greenlaw at the 66th Miss Grambling Coronation. Media Relations/Courtesy photo

Being a member of the royal court is an honor and privilege at Grambling State University. Members serve as the voice of the student body and face of the university. 

Jada Greenlaw, a sophomore political science major from Chicago, currently serves as the 2019-2020 Miss Sophomore.  Although a close family member was a proud alumna of Southern University,  Greenlaw quickly gravitated towards attending Grambling after her first visit.

“Immediately after my visit I knew this was the place for me,” Greenlaw said. “Grambling gave me such a welcoming visit and instantly made me feel at home. Grambling really seemed like a family and I could not  wait to be apart of that! I am 100% certain I made the perfect decision of choosing Grambling over Southern.”

Greenlaw became acclimated to university as she made campus involvement a priority. Outside of the royal court, she is a student ambassador who assists the admissions office with administrative tasks and prospective students. As a political science major, she plans on becoming a lawyer, but with a twist. 

“I enjoy baking!” Greenlaw said. Before I decided on being a lawyer, I always wanted to be a pastry chef. Opening my own bakery was first on my ToDo list. Baking is still something I extremely enjoy so maybe sometime in the future I will actually own my own bakery.”

Greenlaw had previous leadership roles in high school which led her to run for Miss Sophomore. 

“In junior high and high school, I served as secretary/ treasurer,” she said. “I enjoyed my job. So, when I got to Grambling and found about the SGA and Royal Court, I knew that I wanted to get more involved! Miss Sophomore was something that I felt would fit me better. I love this position, and I am so thankful for the sophomore class for electing me.”

In general, most people are on the outside looking in. Many only think the royal court has to show up and wave at football games, but they have no idea that the title comes with more responsibilities. Images are important, but so are the initiatives behind them.

“Being on the Royal Court is so much more than just wearing the crown! Along with being the face of the university.

We strive to better our institution through service, fundraising, and being accessible to our student body, faculty and staff, and the community as a whole,” Greenlaw said. 

Greenlaw explains being on the royal court has its challenges, but the outcomes are worth striving for. The main challenge she faced was transitioning from a regular student to a campus queen.

“At times, it can be a little overwhelming because you have to always be aware of your surroundings. On the other hand, I am very appreciative of my class for electing me and I intend on making them proud everyday. So, it is an honor to hold this position and represent the sophomore class as well as Grambling.”

Being able to properly balance her academics and availability to the student body was a process, but she was up for the task. Greenlaw stepped into this position in order to improve and campus involvement.

“I want the sophomore class to be more involved. So, through my platform, I intend to create events that are informative, but also fun. Getting students involved is very important to me because I feel with me being involved, my college experience has been amplified and that is something I would like other students to say as well.”

Greenlaw encourages anyone who intends on running in the next election to do so, but be mindful of what being on the royal court means. She urges those to understand that it is not only about wearing the crown, but also representing yourself and Grambling. It is imperative to use your reign in order to see quality change on campus. 

What makes Miss Sophomore different is the fact that she is also a youtuber. 

“Being a YouTuber as well as a campus queen is sometimes a struggle. Giving the majority of my time to my academics and the Royal Court can make finding time to record and edit difficult, but finding content is not. So, I use the various things that I do on campus as content, and I have so many videos that will be coming up very soon, so stay on the lookout.”

Greenlaw has more she wants to accomplish on campus and joining SGA is at the top of her list. She enjoys being an advocate for students and only hopes that she can encourage others to do the same.