Praise dancing and a piano solo accompanied by an interpretive dance were the top two talents at Saint Xavier’s Ms. Scarlet and Mr. Grey Pageant on Thursday, April 4. Juniors Kara Lightbourne, a nursing major, and Malcolm Lee, a biology/pre-health major, were crowned as the new Ms. Scarlet and Mr. Grey.
Performances from Lightbourne and Lee were strongly executed in the following four categories: Business Attire, Night Out on the Town, Talent and Formal. For the talent portion, Lightbourne expressed a beautiful praise dance and Lee showcased a piano solo – both of which captivated the audience.
When asked about her win as Ms. Scarlet, Lightbourne replied, “I am so excited and honored to be representing [SXU]. I am thankful for this opportunity.”
Lightbourne’s interest sparked when she attended last year’s Ms. Scarlet and Mr. Grey Pageant to support a classmate and asked about what a contestant had to do. Lightbourne stated “[It is] not about how you look, [but] about who you are.”
Likewise, Lee states, “I am still trying to process it”, and was honored to be picked by his fellow peers and the judges.
This was not Lee’s first time being involved with Saint Xavier’s Ms. Scarlet and Mr. Grey Pageant. Last year, he was involved with playing the piano as well as making the pamphlets for the event.
Other contestants of the night gave spectacular performances as well.
For the women, Jessica Reyes, a freshman criminal justice and political science major, performed the Batcha, a dance reliant on the lower body. Mirhanda Allen, a sophomore biology major, showcased belly dancing during the talent portion. Myshell Johnson, a sophomore chemistry major, gave a heartfelt rendition of “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston. Lauren Murray, a freshman nursing major, expressed herself through an interpretive dance to “Hallelujah” by Kate Voegele.
For the men, David Sode, a freshman biology major, covered the song “Feeling Good” by Michael Bublé. Dan Palanyk, a sophomore marketing major, performed an ‘Ode to SXU’.
President Wiseman served on the panel of judges for the evening. When asked about how she felt about the competition overall, Wiseman responded that this competition “is as important for the students as it is for us. This is critical.” She further mentioned that the winners of the pageant have opportunities to be in university videos and to attend the Scholarship Ball.
Coordinators Rachel Fenton and Shonice James were pleased with the evening’s results. When asked about this year’s talents, Fenton stated, “Everybody had unique talents and showcased their personality.” Similarly James remarked, “They were good [and their] personalities [were] shown in their talents.”
When asked about what she hoped the contestants would take from this pageant, Fenton stated that she wants the contestants to take this experience as “far as they want”. Similarly, James hoped they use it as a “life long experience” and to “prepare for the future”.
Duties of Ms. Scarlet and Mr. Gray include being active around the SXU community as well as working with local communities. Former Ms. Scarlet, Victoria Martello, a junior nursing major, remarked on what activities she has done for the SXU and local communities since winning the pageant last year. Some of the following events she was involved in include press conferences, Xavierite interviews, photo shoots and many others.
On helping the local community, Martello remarks that she got involved with the local community by “playing Bingo with the elderly at Ridgeland Nursing Home, finger painting and reading at the Montessori Preschool and spending time playing basketball with special needs children…”.
Saint Xavier’s first Ms. Scarlet and Mr. Grey Pageant was held back in March 2012.
Brittany Klyczek
News Contributor