Miss Black & Gold 2011-2012 Bria Spivey :My Personal Experience

Miss Black and Gold Experience

 Before Christmas Break, my mentor Kristen Bell asked me was I interested in being a participant in the Miss Black and Gold pageant. I said yes, and nonchalantly attended the interest meeting the next day. During the meeting the Alpha men spoke about how their pageant differed from all others on campus because it is seen as ‘the’ top pageant and is the longest awaited all year. They also stressed the seriousness of their pageant because a lot of money and time is invested into its planning. Now, I must admit I was very impressed with their description of the pageant though, I wasn’t sure I could make the time commitment. Over the Christmas Break I mentioned the pageant to my mother and I didn’t think about it afterwards. After Christmas break, the Alpha’s rounded up all the girls who signed up for the pageant for one last meeting beforehand and said that those who showed up would be the contestants in the pageant. We began with a little over twelve girls and overtime ended with a final number of five. The night of the pageant was by far one of the most exciting evenings of my freshman year.  To the audience the stage seemed quiet and unshaken; unbeknownst to them the backstage was completely hectic.  There were half-dressed girls running around backstage and outfits pertaining to different pageant segments laid over multiple classroom desks. 7:06pm finally came and it was time for the fabulous five contestants to begin with the opening number.  I remember all of us locking hands just before the curtain opened to say a prayer that we all performed to our best abilities. At the end of the night, when the names of the contestants who received awards were being called, I remember feeling happy just to have participated in the event. I was proud of myself for never giving up, even when the practices got longer and the demands became more trying. I proved to myself that I can do whatever I set my mind to even, when it’s something that I haven’t done before.  By the end of the night not only had I won the award for best performance but, I was also crowned Miss Black & Gold. It felt great to achieve so much as a result of commitment and hard work.