On Thursday, April 21, 2016, the Gamma Phi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., held their annual Mr. Ivy Leaf Pageant in the Ballroom of the Student Union Building.
The Mr. Ivy Leaf Pageant is held annually in search of a distinguished young man with desirable characteristics from Alcorn State University to represent the Gamma Phi Chapter. There were four contestants, Johnny Jenkins, Jamaal Muhammad, LaDerrick McGee and Cori Pittman who were each vying for two titles that were awarded at the end of the pageant which were Mr. Ivy Leaf and Mr. Gamma Phi.
The pageant consisted of four scenes: casual wear, swimwear, business attire, and a talent portion. All four scenes were intense and competitive. Denisha Jennings, a Fall 2015 initiate into the Gamma Phi Chapter stated, “I have been looking forward to seeing who would be our next Mr. Ivy Leaf and I am impressed with the contestants.” There were intermissions in between the scenes, which consisted of a song by Ivan Gray (Freshman Class President), tap dancing by Allison Beverly (a 2015 initiate into the Gamma Phi Chapter), and line dancing with DJ Swazy providing the music.
The hosts for the pageant were Amber Kinney, who was a 2013 initiate of the Gamma Phi Chapter and Artis Gamble. The judges, who consisted of faculty and students from Alcorn, were Chris Murry, Henry Davis, James Durant, and Adrian McLain.
After careful deliberation by the judges, the decision was made. Johnny Jenkins, a Senior Social Work major from Clinton, MS was named Mr. Ivy Leaf 2016 while Cori Pittman, a Senior Agriculture major from Tylertown, MS was named Mr. Gamma Phi 2016. The Gamma Phi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha looks forward to working with these two distinguished gentlemen.