The annual Miss Kappa Alpha Psi pageant was hosted on Oct. 2 by the Alpha Nu chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. in Harrison Auditorium.

Jordan Tate is Mister Kappa Alpha Psi and served as pageant coordinator for this year’s competition. Through these roles, he was responsible for making sure the night ran smoothly.

“Planning the pageant was truly a great experience, of course, it was a million and one moving parts, but they all came together to make one amazing final product,” Tate said. 

Four judges were responsible for tallying scores for each contestant. Sydney Wallace, Johnathan Shannon, Addy Foertsch and Bridgett Williams are all a part of the Aggie family as alumni or faculty members.

Tylen McGee, vice polemarch of the chapter and Elaina White, 2022 Miss Kappa Alpha Psi served as the master and mistress of ceremonies for the night. The two were responsible for narrating the show and keeping the crowd engaged.

The pageant featured a wild, wild west theme and opened with a western-style group dance from the contestants. Seven ladies competed in four different categories in hopes of gaining a spot on the royal court for the fraternity. 

Following the opening dance, each contestant introduced themselves with their name, major, hometown and provided their favorite Bible verse.

The second portion of the pageant was oratory. Each contestant provided a unique oratory on the topic of collegiate women and their advancements in history.

Topics discussed during this portion included discussing notable women of today’s society and civil issues such as healthcare disparities, voting rights and educational freedoms. 

After a brief intermission, the swimsuit portion of the night began. Contestants were judged on the quality of their swimsuits, accessories and walk. Continuing with the western theme, White and McGee described each contestant’s swimsuits and coverups as they strutted across the stage.

Criteria for the talent portion included originality, confidence and delivery. Talents from the contestants included dancing, singing, spoken word, painting and more.

In the question and answer portion, the final category of the night, contestants were asked on-the-spot questions while showing off their formal wear. 

Each contestant was reintroduced to the audience through their accomplishments and campus involvement. Contestants were asked questions surrounding topics of the fraternity and personal character.

Judges were given time to deliberate and tally their scores for the ladies competing to be the next queens of the fraternity. The 2022 reigning queens of the Alpha Nu chapter gave their final walk before the new court was named. 

White described the moment as bittersweet.

“I am very excited, being a part of the mentorship of the pageant this year has been the best part about being queen so far,” White said. “I’m going to miss the memories we shared.”

Still wearing their dazzling evening gowns, the contestants graced the stage one last time. Each contestant was given an award for participating in the pageant and the winners were named. 

Miss Kappa Alpha Psi for the 2023-24 academic school year is Monika Kajangu. Serving alongside her are Juliana Hilton as Miss Alpha Nu, Nija Bryant as Miss Krimson and Kream and Kai Ward as Miss 1911. 

Stacey Spencer, Mikayla Wingate and Erica Funderburk were also recognized for their participation in the pageant.

Kajangu described how it felt to earn the title as an immigrant who learned English just a few years ago. She plans to use the platform to advocate for others in a variety of program initiatives. 

“Being Miss Kappa Alpha Psi is an amazing feeling. I’m very appreciative of the people who came before me, and I will always try to do better than what they did with the resources that I now have.” Kajangu said. “Competing was a testament to myself, especially learning English in 2016, and so now I’m speaking a whole different language that I learned on my own.”

She looks forward to collaborating with the royal court to plan programs. Kajangu plans to include her pageant sisters’ platforms when planning service and other programs.

“I’m so excited, my royal court, we all have different ideas. Even though I’m passionate about healthcare, my other pageant sisters are passionate about different things,” Kajangu said. 

The chapter is excited to begin work with the new court by planning events and community service.

“Congratulations to all of the contestants that competed and I am more than excited to get to work with the new court with the events and service planned for this year,” Tate said.