t the beginning of Thursday night’s Miss Black Western pageant, 21 lovely ladies paraded across the stage in a vibrant dance number to Nivea’s “OK,” but by the end of the night, only one would do her own shimmy down the stage to be crowned Miss Black Western.
For freshman Yasmin Dotson of Pontiac, Mich., it was not about getting the crown.
“My friends, Sabra and Victoria, we all wanted to do something together,” she said.
Dotson said it was great doing the pageant with her friends, but it took hard work.
“It was hard getting us, how they say, ‘perfect,’ and dealing with the hormones and emotions,” she said.
Almost 300 people, including five judges, gathered in DUC Theater to decide which contestant showcased the best talent, hottest spring wear, most elegant evening wear and most appealing personality.
Franklin senior Leah Smith, coordinator of the pageant, said this was the 34th year the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority played host to the gala.
Because of the large number of contenders, a few changes had to be made to ensure the pageant would not run much longer than three hours.
“We had to change the formation of walks and the times for talents and personal narratives,” Smith said.
Nashville sophomore Mark Clay said he was surprised by the talent and the fashion sense of the contestants.
“They were really impressive this year,” he said. “I see them around campus, but I would have never known that they had so much talent.”
The competitors displayed talents such as tumbling, singing, acting and miming.
Though all the ladies showed immense talent, Smith said Indianapolis sophomore Cecile Shell added something extra to the competition.
“During her personal narrative, she threw out the little diamonds in her shawl to the audience,” she said. “That was a surprise.”
Shell’s surprise helped her win first place in the competition.
Madisonville freshman Dinesti GoLightly came in second place and Louisville freshmen Jorian Seay and Monique Graham tied for third.
Smith said all the contestants enjoyed prize packs including jarred candles, picture frames, journals and photo albums.
The money raised covered the expenses of the pageant and the one-year book scholarship awarded to Shell.
Smith said she is proud of the hard work that went into the success of the Miss Black Western pageant.
“It was a lot of hard work, but we did it,” she said.
Reach Stephanie Toone at features@wkuherald.com.
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