Culture | December 11th, 2023
Beta Nu Has a New Royal Court on the Hill
By: Sydney McLennan
The annual scholarship pageant for the Beta Nu Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, took place in Lee Hall on Thursday night. The award-winning musical “Dreamgirls” served as the pageant’s theme.
The musical drama “Dreamgirls,” which features huge names like Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson, and Beyoncé Knowles, chronicles the ascent of a singing group akin to the Supremes.
At 6:06 p.m., 14 contestants appeared on stage in the auditorium, mesmerizing the audience with their exquisitely sparkly dresses. Each girl was featured in five distinct categories on the show, along with questions and answers about contestant introductions, business attire, talents, swimwear, and formal wear.
Madison McNealy, contestant number 10 and eventual Miss Black and Gold, spoke about her experience doing the pageant and what she gained from it.
“It was so nice to know that the work I put in paid off, and my now court sisters are gonna have my back and make sure we have the best reign for the upcoming year,” McNealy said.
“I definitely will say that I’m not the same person I was two months ago, so I think that’s definitely my favorite part of just doing a pageant in general.”
The pageant was hosted by Zacary Bell, a member of the Beta Nu chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, and Mia Diamond. The hosts announced the hashtag #theedream14, where the audience members could relay all their thoughts and feelings about the night.
One Twitter user by the name of @p1ayb0iii wrote, “Creating a website from scratch is REALLY impressive and difficult to do. True talent fr #theedream14,” about McNealy’s talent portion in the pageant.
Tamia Williams, contestant number twelve and eventual Miss 1906, Spoke about her experience in the pageant.
“My experience was amazing because the entire pageant community was extremely supportive and encouraging, and it was amazing to bond with girls that I wouldn’t have met if we didn’t do the pageant together,” Williams said.
“Doing a pageant is working hard every single day with no days off, especially since the motto of the Beta Nu chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated is tenacity above all tenacity; you have to have a tenacious spirit to be able to win.”
Williams says she is very excited to start hosting events in collaboration with the newest members of the Beta Nu royal court.
Shantel Taylor, a third-year Accounting major, shared her thoughts after attending the pageant.
“ I loved the swimsuit section of the pageant because they all showed their individual personality and confidence,” Taylor said. “It was amazing to see them come together at the end with all of their individual personalities shining.”
To conclude the enchanting, glamorous night, six of the newest members of the Beta Nu Royal Court were crowned.
The top spot for Miss Black and Gold went to Madison McNealy. Tamia Williams won Miss 1906. Braelynn White won the title of Miss 1932. Miss Beta Nu went to Kalis Mathis. Zayla Bryant won Miss Black, and Latanya Herbert won Miss Gold.
It’s going to be an exciting year ahead to see what the new Beta Nu Royal Court has in store for students at FAMU!
