Parrish a natural leader on ‘The Hill’

Winslyn Parrish ws elected Miss Junior Attendant on Thursday. Photo courtesy Parrish

Winslyn Parrish started off serving as Florida A&M’s sophomore vice president for the 2019-2020 academic year with a catchy motto: “Our leadership is day and night.”

That motto still stands as Parish on Thursday was elected junior attendant for the 2020-2021 academic year.

Parrish, 19, is a third-year pre-physical therapy student from West Palm Beach. She graduated from Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, in 2018 where she studied classical piano. In high school, Parrish’s only focus was music, but when she entered college she began to want to get involved in extracurricular activities.

Parrish’s goal was to step out of her comfort zone once she began college, knowing all the leadership potential she had. She did just that as she joined different organizations and participated in community service events such as Physicians in Training, Big Sister Little Sister, and SISTUHS.
Roderick Wilkins, the former president of the FAMU chapter of 100 Black Men, says Parrish is a natural leader.

“Winslyn is a very dedicated leader and person. She is always eager to try something new and discover new qualities about herself. She is very thorough and resilient,” Wilkins said.

Parrish was the student organization’s chairwoman for FAMU’s Relay for Life through the American Cancer Society. She was also the founder of a mentorship program called “Baby Rattlers” for the class of 2022 and has since passed the program down to the class of 2023 to continue her legacy, but Parrish doesn’t plan to stop there.

Photo courtesy Parrish

Parrish’s friend, Cirsten Jones, said Parrish’s character speaks for itself.

“Winslyn’s character can perfectly speak for itself. Her ability to overcome every obstacle placed in her way is one of the many things I admire about her the most. She’s more than a leader, but a definite trendsetter. Being a leader has always been rooted deep in her blood, it’s a natural thing for her,” Jones said.

Parrish plans to leave her mark on FAMU 2022 as the next miss junior attendant. Her platform points talked about bringing services for events centered on sexual and mental health awareness. Outdoor activities, such as collaborating with FAMU 22’s cabinet and hosting “Rec Day” to keep FAMU 22 active and in shape

Also, she plans on having networking events hosting different professional events for students and helping Mister and Miss FAMU in recruiting scholars. On top of helping Mister and Miss FAMU, Parrish wants to partner with FAMU DRS and mentor young high-school girls.

“I want to become the next Miss Junior Attendant to change the stigma around attendants. I want to be able to put in so much work that people start to see attendants as more than a pretty face that represents and as the face of the university,” she said. “There is so much more to a queen than just wearing a crown. In addition to that, I want to serve my class yet again, just in a different arena. I want to leave my mark on FAMU ’22.”