Miss WSSU Donita Barrett crowned Miss CIAA
WSSU photo
Miss WSSU Dontia Yavonne Barrett wins Miss CIAA 2016 title last week.
Special to The Chronicle
Miss Winston-Salem State University (WSSU), Dontia Yavonne Barrett, was recently awarded the coveted 2016 Miss Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) crown, along with a $1,250 scholarship at the McDonald’s/CIAA Super Saturday inside the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte.
“The Miss CIAA competition was an amazing experience,” Barrett, 21, a senior psychology major from Durham said. “It was rigorously judged on a number of components, so being crowned was truly an honor, and it feels absolutely amazing when I hear students, faculty, staff, and alumni boast about how proud they are to be a Ram in response to my accomplishments.”
Barrett has also represented WSSU as Miss Freshman, Miss Sophomore, Junior Class President, and was recently crowned Miss National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame (NBCAHOF), an accomplishment that is a first in WSSU’s history. As Miss NBCAHOF, Barrett not only represents WSSU, but she serves as a national ambassador to 106 HBCU’s to help spread the historical relevance and impact of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, while uplifting and empowering HBCU women across the nation.
In the tradition of Miss WSSU, Barrett recognizes the strength that African-American women have possessed throughout history. Her winning platform has been “Power Women, EMPOWER women,” where many of her initiatives as Miss NBCAHOF promotes women’s empowerment, community outreach, professional development, and sisterhood.
“This is what drives me to do my very best! Representing my university, the CIAA, and HBCU community is such a pleasure and I plan to exceed all expectations of this position,“ Barrett said.
Barrett is the third Ms. WSSU to capture the Ms. CIAA crown since 2004 (Mignon Turner, 2004 and Vanity Oakes, 2014).
The Food Lion Miss CIAA competition winners are given scholarships based on their GPA, community and school involvement, biography, essay and online popular vote.
The CIAA is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II athletic conference consisting mostly of historically African-American institutions of higher education.
