While giving “A Tribute to Our Ancestors,” computer engineering technology major Roland Champine of building 43 and Zakiyyah Willis of building 40, were crowned Mr. and Miss. University College on Thursday, Oct. 8 in the Opal Johnson-Smith Auditorium.
Champine performed Maxwell’s “Pretty Wings”, and received a standing ovation for his vocal skills. The background singers from Prairie View’s choir accompanied him.
Willis performed an original praise dance piece to the Kurt Carr Singers, “For Every Mountain.”
Joe Narcisse, a junior business management major, said, “I am one of Zakiyya’s PALs in building 40, and I was completely blown away by her overall performance tonight.”
This year’s pageant consisted of 16 contestants from buildings 35, 37, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, and the freshman building 6 in The University Village.
Students from all over the campus came out to support and represent their freshman home away from home.
The pageant was hosted by the 2008-2009 Mr. and Miss University College, sophomore agriculture economics major Ernest Bradford, and sophomore nursing major Jade Watson. Watson and Bradford felt the pageant was a platform for the participants to grow and progress on for their future years at Prairie View A&M University, and that it sets the pace for other students at this institution.
With this year’s freshman class being the largest class in Prairie View’s history, along with the support from others on campus, that the seats were packed from top to bottom, reaching the auditorium’s maximum seating capacity.
Courtney Semien, an LCM from building 37 and a pageant’s coordinator said, “I felt the student body turnout was successful. In University College we strive to have as many participating freshmen as possible when we have various programs taking place. The energy in the auditorium was high, exciting, and positive.”
Semien believes the freshmen displayed maturity throughout the night by not booing.
“That is always great, especially since the contestants worked so hard over the past weeks,” Semien said
The pageant was also coordinated by Learning Community Coordinators Terri Moss of building 41 and Jereme Gant of building 39.