The complete royal court of the Real Beta Alpha Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
Photo submitted by Kaviena Spencer
The Beta Alpha chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority on Sunday hosted its 2019-2020 scholarship event, Men in Crimson: The Mr.1913 Scholarship Pageant, It took place at the auditorium in the new pharmacy building.
The pageant consisted of six contestants: Duy Tran, Myles McKay, Tariq Akins, Kimani Jackson, Charles Ellis, Jr., and A-chai’a Jackson. The men competed in an opening dance routine followed by a fashion show, business wear, and talent before ending the night with a formal and questionnaire portion.
The talent portion featured an array of talents including spoken word, singing, stepping, playing the piano upside down, and even cutting hair.
For Jenesis Miller, a freshman, the talent portion is what made the pageant great.
“I think it was great. I think there was a lot of talent, it was a lot of variety of talents, it wasn’t the same type of people over and over,” said Miller.
Kimani Jackson, a sophomore, vocal performance major, competed as contestant No. 4. His talent was singing complete with a band and even backup singers.
Jackson said that preparing for the pageant was a little tough because of his zodiac sign.
“For me, prepping for this pageant was tough because I’m a Virgo so I always want everything to be perfect, so it was hard to channel all my ideas and come to an end result,” Jackson said.
At the end of the night, only one man would take home the title of Mr.1913, and that man was Duy Tran. Following Tran was Jackson, who took the title of Mr.1937. And finally, Charles Ellis, Jr., took home the title of Mr. Crimson and Cream.
Even though Jackson didn’t win the title of Mr.1913, he plans on using his title of Mr.1937 to be a positive complement to the ladies of Beta Alpha.
“With my title I plan on fulfilling my initiative as well as being a positive complement to the chapter and assisting with community service initiatives,” said Jackson.
He also says that the he is so glad to be part of the experience of being part of an a-pageant.
“This experience is an experience I’m so glad I was a part of. I was able to meet wonderful people, gain lifelong friendships, and grow as an individual, as a performer, and as a critical thinker. I thank God for allowing me to share my gift,” he said.