On Thursday, April 19th, the Ladies of the Gamma Phi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. presented the annual Mr. Ivy Leaf Scholarship Pageant. The event was held in the James L. Bolden Student Union Ballroom from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
With a long runway gracing the center of the floor, a live band, three elite judges and eight well qualified contestants, the event was a night of surprises. It began with a fashion show from the gentlemen of the T.R.E.N.D. and GQ Modeling Squads. Afterwards, a special Grand Waltz dance was performed featuring the contestants and eight Ladies from the Gamma Phi Chapter. The dance was choreographed by Kiara Harris, who is a Graduating Senior and a member of the sorority. Immediately following the Grand Waltz the live band V.Y.B.E. Music Productions performed their first song, “Focus” by R&B singer H.E.R.
The contestants participated in five categories for the pageant to show why they should be Mr. Ivy Leaf for the 2018-2019 upcoming school year. The categories featured were business dress, casual wear, swim wear, talent and an interview portion. The gentlemen walked to the runway for the first four categories to show off their styles. The talent portion of the contest mesmerized the crowd. There was singing, spoken word and a special creative arts piece that showed the true talents of all of the candidates making the decision hard for the judges.
The V.Y.B.E. Music Production performed a few more songs throughout the night and kept the crowd’s attention as the show paused for intermission. The interview portion of the show consisted of each contestant picking one question out of a bowl and answering it in front of the audience. Each gentlemen’s answers were well thought out and detailed. Mishalei Hall, a Sophomore, Animal Science major from Bassfield, Mississippi said, “This was the best pageant yet. The talent and interview portions were my favorite because you really got to see the guy’s personalities. I enjoyed the live band as well which was a nice twist.”
With suspense in the air and after about twenty minutes of tallying and deliberation the winners were announced. The runner-up was Sophomore Jordan Fields who was crowned Mr. Gamma Phi and the winner of the Mr. Ivy Leaf 2018-2019 pageant was Sophomore Tyreq Miles.