Emerging HBCU students now have somewhere to showcase their intelligence and talent. They’re doing it in the Miss HBCU Teen Scholarship Pageant. After being founded in 2021 by Darrell Williams, the pageant system has been able to make headway as the first of its kind. It caters specifically to young girls who are looking to attend a Historically Black College/University (HBCU) after graduating high school. Contestants are chosen based upon their application and the interview process. Once this happens, they are official representatives of their home state and are able to begin their reign as queen. After noticing the dynamic impact that HBCUs have had across the country, it was decided the Miss HBCU Teen was needed to help provide more exposure to these types of institutions. “It was extremely important to have a space that prioritized representation for people of color and prestigious HBCUs. There aren’t many spaces that do so, and for some that do, they aren’t as authentic with...