It is that time of year once again where a new Miss USA is crowned. It is bitter sweet having to say goodbye to our Miss USA 2016 the fabulous Deshauna Barber. She was the first queen to be crowned that had served or is serving in the U.S Military. Deshauna reminds me so much of myself. Watching her win in June 2016 really felt like a win for myself and black girls nationwide especially dark skinned girls and women.
Dark skinned women are not deemed to be as competitively beautiful as women who are lighter than us and to see a woman of Deshauna’s complexion take home the Miss USA title last year was a breath of fresh air.
This year 7 beautiful queens are competing who possess that golden Black Girl Magic. They represent the states of California, Delaware, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, South Carolina and the District of Columbia.
California ( India Williams 20 )
India Williams is Junior at Loyola Marymount University studying Business Entrepreneurship with hopes of a career in Intellectual Property Rights. From Lafayette, California, this 20-year-old has also studied Mandarin Chinese for nearly six years. She was a contestant on Cycle 22 of America’s Next Top Model and recently walked for Sherri Hill in New York Fashion Week. India Williams volunteers with the entrepreneurship program at “The Incubator School” and works closely with an organization called “Mixed Marrow,” where she is focused on hosting her first bone marrow registration drive.
Deleware ( Mia Jones 20 )
Mia Jones is a spunky 20-year-old from Bear, Delaware. As an Art Education major at Delaware State University, Jones enjoys splashing her inner thoughts onto a blank canvas and spending quality time with her family. Additionally, as an Alpha Kappa Alpha member, it is her passion “To be of Service to all Mankind.” One day, Jones hopes to provide therapeutic art opportunities by opening her own community center. Mia Jones is honored to represent the “Small Wonder” and home of “Tax Free Shopping” in the 2017 MISS USA® competition.
Illinois ( Whitney Wandland 25 )
Whitney Wandland is a Chicago born actress and dancer with over 20 years of dance training in Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop and West African techniques. This past year, Wandland was a featured dancer on three different episodes of Fox’s hit show, Empire, and was also selected to perform at the NBA Allstar Weekend 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Off camera, Wandland is the Captain of the Chicago Bulls dance team, the Chicago Luvabulls, and works for a Commercial Real Estate Investment Firm in Chicago. In her free time, Whitney loves going to the movies because it connects her to an industry that she loves so much. As a native of Chicago, Illinois, Wandland is honored to represent her state at the 2017 MISS USA® pageant. If so fortunate to win the title, Whitney Wandland hopes to be an advocate for children and families affected by gun violence.
Kansas ( Catherine Carmichael 26 )
Catherine Carmichael grew up in Manhattan, Kansas but has called Lawrence her home for the last nine years. Over the course of her time in Lawrence, Carmichael played volleyball at the University of Kansas while obtaining her degree in Cultural Studies with a minor in Communication Studies. After graduating college, Carmichael briefly pursued a professional volleyball career in Europe. She moved back to Lawrence in 2015 and is currently the Assistant Director of Recruiting for the University of Kansas football team. Catherine Carmichael’s younger brother, Jamison, is a two-time cancer survivor, and her passion is raising money for childhood cancer awareness.
Missouri ( Bayleigh Dayton 23 )
Born and raised in the suburbs of Kansas City, Missouri, Bayleigh Dayton is the youngest of three independent and opinionated daughters. Dayton graduated from Baylor University where she earned a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration and is planning to pursue her MBA this fall. Dayton spends most of time with her head in the clouds, literally, as she works as a flight attendant. Dayton enjoys traveling, yoga, modeling, acting and spending time with her family and friends. During her free time, she advocates for women who have been sexually assaulted or abused. She wants to use her personal experience to show girls that no matter the circumstances, their futures are full of possibilities. Bayleigh Dayton is honored to be the very first African American Miss Missouri USA and hopes to make her state proud by being the second title holder from Missouri to become Miss USA.
South Carolina ( Megan Gordon 23 )
23-year-old, Megan Gordon, was born and raised North Augusta, South Carolina. She is a recent graduate of Armstrong State University where she obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing with a specialization in Pediatrics. In her free time, Gordon can be found reading, trying new foods and traveling to unique destinations. So far, she has experienced new cultures in Canada, Venice, Rome and India. Gordon is excited to travel throughout her home state of South Carolina to promote her platform- Instilling Confidence, Care and Class in Young Ladies. Pageantry and traveling has also opened doors for her modeling career, where she has shot for multiple companies and worked with renowned photographers. Megan Gordon’s message to young women with a dream is to “have faith, work hard and always remain true to yourself. Everything else will fall into place.”
District of Columbia ( Kara McCullough 25 )
Kára McCullough was born in Naples, Italy, but raised in Virginia Beach, Virginia. As the daughter of a now retired United States Navy Chief Petty Officer, she has traveled and lived in many beautiful places including Sicily, Japan, South Korea and Hawaii. After being immersed in multiple different cultures, McCullough has a penchant for cooking specialty Italian and soul food cuisines. McCullough earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry with a concentration in Radiochemistry from South Carolina State University. Her major provided her the opportunity to intern at many universities, which paved the way to her current career at the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. McCullough also has a personal community outreach program entitled, Science Exploration for Kids (SE4K). SE4K features interactive science activities, and math and science tutoring for children scholars grades 6-11. McCullough is honored to represent the Nation’s Capital at the 2017 MISS USA® competition and is excited to meet all of the intelligent women from throughout the country.
I am excited to root on our 7 melanated queens and I hope we are able to pull off the Black Girl Double, and y’all already know America wouldn’t be ready for it but the of course the Black Community is so here for it.
Remember To Always Be
Fierce and Fabulous
xoxo Lela Victoria
