Miss UVI to Vie for National HBCU College Queen Crown

Miss UVI 2016-2017 Che-Raina Warner will compete in the 2016 National Black College Alumni (NBCA) Hall of Fame Queens pageant from Sept. 21-25, in Atlanta, Ga., at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Warner will compete against other college queens from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) around the nation for the title of Miss NBCA Hall of Fame.
Sponsored by the University of the Virgin Islands and the Virgin Islands Department of Tourism, Warner will travel to Atlanta with her advisor, Leon Lafond, who is the director of student activities, and her co-advisor, Ashikisha Maduro, a graduate assistant of student activities.
“It is a distinct honor to serve as a goodwill ambassador for my university,” said Warner. “I am excited to have the opportunity to represent UVI on the international scene. It is my intention to showcase my talent and abilities as best I can in order to bring to light not only my skills but those of my fellow UVI students. I will represent the Buccaneers to the best of my ability, thus making UVI and the Virgin Islands proud.”
Warner, age 24, is from St. Kitts and attends UVI on the St. Thomas Campus. She is a junior majoring in communication. Her career aspiration is to become a professionally trained journalist, reporter and news anchor. Her platform, “The Beauty Myth,” has the acronym D.R.E.A.M.S. (Developing a Realm of Educated Ambitious Motivated Sisters), which she plans to promote intensely throughout her tenure as Miss UVI. Her hobbies and interests include reading, learning foreign languages and writing poetry.

This year, which marks the 31st year of the competition, all NBCA contestants will be judged in the following four categories:
1) Presentation and image
2) Oratory – interview; question and answer
3) Poise and projection
4) Talent
The newly crowned Miss NBCA will serve as a national representative and advocate of HBCUs, and she will receive an academic scholarship and other prizes.
Che-Raina Warner expressed her gratitude to the V.I. Department of Tourism for partnering with UVI to sponsor her quest to become Miss NBCA Hall of Fame Queen 2016-17. She also thanked everyone who has positively impacted her journey, including Leon Lafond, Ashikisha Maduro, the SGA Queen’s Committee and Lisa Wynne-Magnuson of VI Etiquette.
The competition is sponsored by the NBCA Hall of Fame organization, which is dedicated to the growth and development of HBCUs through scholarships, internships, training and technical assistance, alumni recognition and programs to encourage humanitarian involvement.
For more information, contact UVI Student Activities Director Leon Lafond at 693-1111 or llafond@uvi.edu.