On Thursday, Oct. 4th at 7:00 pm in the Davey L. Whitney Complex on the campus of Alcorn State University (ASU) the Coronation of Moriah Batiest was held. The night was one of elegance, class, and spunk with the theme being Mardi Gras. The walls were tastefully covered in purple, white, gold and green curtains while Her Majesty’s throne sat atop a platform decorated to resemble an alluring Mardi Gras parade float.
Batiest, a Senior Business Administration major was inducted as the 92nd Miss Alcorn for the 2018-2019 school year. She is the daughter of Robert and Patricia Batiest who reside in Chicago, Illinois. She enrolled at ASU as a Freshman during the Fall of 2015 and has been a Dean’s and President’s scholar every year of her academic career.
Before coming to the decision to run for the Miss Alcorn title Batiest was and still is a member of many different organizations on campus. She has been a part of the Student Government Association (SGA), the Honors Student Organization, P.O.W.E.R., The Movement of Poimne, Student Ambassadors and the Residence Housing Association.
Over the years her dedication and involvement led her to want to accomplish more. “I decided to run for Miss Alcorn because I love helping and being around people, and I believe that this provided me a bigger platform to do so. Also, I wanted to inspire those around me whose path may be different from others that they can achieve anything that they put their minds to. I want to inspire and encourage all women, but especially young women who look like me and feel like they’re not beautiful enough or don’t measure up to society’s standards of beauty,” said Batiest.
Batiest believes that to be an effective Miss Alcorn one must be an exceptional leader and possess excellent communication skills, a good attitude, an enduring personality, and amazing critical thinking skills. She is a prime example of not giving up on your dreams even giving her personal testimony during her acceptance speech about how she became so discouraged during her time out of school, however, she overcame everything. “Words of advice that I have for the students of Alcorn are to keep God first, keep a good support system around you, get enough sleep, eat healthy meals, and attend class regularly. It is okay to have fun but the main reason you came to school was to receive an education and get your degree. Also, do not be intimidated or scared to take risks and get outside of your comfort zone. Reach for the stars and take advantage of every opportunity given to you.”
Batiest’s Court consisted of Miss Senior, Tylea Davenport, a Social Work major from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Miss Junior, Ariel Catchings, a Biology/Pre-Dentistry major from Brookhaven, Mississippi, Miss Sophomore, Alexandrea Johnson, a Biology/Pre-Medicine major from Lexington, Mississippi, and Miss Freshman, Raiya Montgomery, a Nursing major from Jackson, Mississippi.
Along with being crowned ‘Queen of the Reservation’, Batiest is also in competition to become a queen in Ebony magazine as well. Be sure to vote for her to win a chance to be featured in the magazine at https://www.ebony.com/campusqueens-2018/contestant/alcorn-state-university.