The stage was set, the jazz band was swinging, the contestants gave their all and the finalists were chosen at the 2019 Mister and Miss N.C. A&T Pageant last week.

This year’s pageant is the sixth annual since the inception of the position. It aids in the deciding factor of who will be placed on the ballot for the Student Government Association elections. This year’s theme for the pageant was,  ‘The Aggie Renaissance’ and evoked the feeling of the 1920s Harlem Renaissance.

The pageant featured five contestants for the Ms. N.C.A&T title, including Diamond Mangrum, Tyrelia Sawyer-Mercer, Erika Booker, Raven Hughes and Teeghan Wiggins as well as two contestants for the Mr. N.C.A&T position, including Karson McLeod and Armani May. All contestants were vying for finalist spots on the SGA election ballot.

Hosted by Kenneth Gorham and Angail Wiley, the program consisted our segments, including oratory, talent, question and answer and evening wear.

In the oratory portion, the contestants were provided three minutes to highlight their campaign platforms, which included community engagement and Historically Black Colleges and Universities unity.

The talent portion showcased some of the contestants talents such as dancing, as displayed by Mangrum, Booker and Hughes.

Some of the contestants also demonstrated their talent of music. Sawyer-Mercer sang a rendition of Whitney Houston’s “The Greatest Love of All.” McLeod played Daniel Caesar and H.E.R.’s “Best Part” on the cello before performing a monologue about how his love for N.C.A&T has helped change his perspective on society and his deep appreciation for his HBCU.

Wiggins and May displayed renaissance-era performances including Wiggins’s singing perfomance of the Princess and the Frog’s “Almost There” while May sung “What A Wonderful World” by Harlem Renaissance musician Louis Armstrong.

For the evening wear and question portions, the crowd was in heavy applause as all contestants strolled in their gowns and suits for the night. The contestants then randomly selected question and was scored based on their responses.

After a brief intermission, judges tallied the scores for the Mister and Miss A&T Pageant finalists.

Both contestants for Mister made it to the final round, while Mangrum, Hughes, and Wiggins were the three final contestants for Miss.

And now… the finalist results! #NCAT #ATPageant https://t.co/lYnto5Tz3m

— The A&T Register (@TheATRegister) March 14, 2019

“I feel really excited and blessed right now. Now, I have to focus on campaigning and make sure that my fellow Aggies understand my campaign and platform,” said Wiggins.

McLeod also shared similar sentiments as Wiggins.

“I am very thankful to all those who have helped influence me and that is everyone who I have came in contact with at A&T,” McLeod said .

The SGA Campaign Season begins on March 18, 2019 and ends March 27, 2019. Voting for Mister and Miss N.C.A&T as well as a variety of other leadership positions within SGA will occur on March 27 from 8a.m. to 6p.m. through email.

For more information on voting, you can contact the  Elections Committee at (336) 334-7792, visit the office located in Murphy Hall, Suite 104, or email them at [email protected].