The Miss Krimson & Kreme pageant, held Feb. 12, was hosted by the Theta Phi chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi.
Khadijah Torbert, a senior broadcast journalism and business double major from Opelika, won the beauty pageant. She became the first ever Miss Krimson & Kreme of Troy University.
Along with Torbert, five other women took on the challenge and prepared for this pageant in two weeks.
Xavier Harris, a senior broadcast journalism major from Montgomery, was a host at the Krimson & Kreme pageant.
“We started this event about two and a half weeks ago; we got all of the girls together and had an interest meeting,” Harris said. “They had an application process they had to go through, and after that, we started getting practices together.”
Harris, along with others from the Theta Phi chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi, helped put the pageant together.
“The entire Theta Phi chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi helped with this, as well as other students around the campus who have competed in pageants,” Harris said.
“I heard through word of mouth from one of my friends about this event,” said Elana Woodall, a junior secondary education major from Smiths Station.
“I expect a lot of diversity in the performances, especially the talent portion since it is my favorite part.”
Woodall was not the only person who found the talent portion to be her favorite part. Many members of the audience found the showcase of talents their favorite moment of the night.
“My favorite part was the talents,” said Aspen Chamblin, a junior psychology major from Alabaster. “The dance Khadijah Torbert did was great, I thought she did really well.”
J.B. Burns, a freshman athletic training major from Birmingham, shared a similar opinion. “The dancing was my favorite part, and all of the contestants were beautiful, and I thought they did good for their first pageant,” she said.
The pageant included six contestants, who were judged by five judges. The areas of the competition included an interview before the pageant, talent, swimsuit, evening wear and a short answer portion.
The six women strode across the stage while dancing to “Bang Bang” by Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj and Jessie J, and were in uniformed white button-down shirts and black pants while holding a red and white striped candy cane.
Latasha Simms, a senior broadcast journalism major from Brooklyn, New York, competed in the pageant and said she was not intimidated at all, but was excited to get out of her comfort zone.
“It’s a chance for me to get out of my comfort zone, for me to actually do something I’ve never done before,” Simms said.
“Don’t be afraid to do something you really want to do just because you are going to be in front of a large crowd of people,” Simms said. “You have to step out of your comfort zone at some point, and step by step, you should do it.”
She performed a motivational poem titled “Who Am I?” that she wrote. At the end of the pageant, she received the title of runner-up and was awarded a $250 book scholarship.
“I feel really good about my first Krimson & Kreme pageant because I was overthinking this whole situation; I thought it was going to be really hard,” Simms said. “Everyone was very supportive, and everyone was cheering me on.”
The pageant came down to three women: Haley Roberson, Latasha Sims and Khadijah Torbert. Torbert was awarded the title of the first ever Miss Krimson & Kreme of Troy University.
She was awarded a $350 book scholarship, unlimited entry to all future Kappa Alpha Psi events, a sash, a crown and flowers.
“To be the first Miss Krimson & Kreme means everything to me. It’s the first pageant ever, and that is such an accomplishment to me to set the tone for future pageants to come,” Torbert said.
Torbert represented the brothers of the Theta Phi chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi and expressed her joy to be the first winner of their Miss Krimson & Kreme pageant.
“It’s just such a blessing to have won, especially with it being the first African-American fraternity on the campus of Troy University,” Torbert said. “The brothers of Theta Phi chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi hold themselves in such a dignified manner, and I just wanted to represent them tonight.”
Members of the audience said that they appreciated the fact that Kappa Alpha Psi did a good job of keeping the crowd entertained, had great music playing and created a comfortable ambience for the night.
“I thought the event went really well ,and it was organized really nicely,” Chamblin said.
Many students who attended the event felt welcome and said they would attend another Miss Krimson & Kreme pageant.
“The music playing kept it comfortable, and I felt relaxed and entertained,” said Omarria McGee, a senior human services major from Andalusia who attended the pageant.
“I think it’s great, and I think they should do it again,” McGee said. “I think they should also make it annual.”
Comments