After three hours of choreographed dances, poetry readings, vocal performances and impromptu questions, the 2008 Unity Court was announced Saturday.
Freshmen Veronica Beamon and David Guiden were crowned Miss Unity Queen and Mr. Unity King at the Black Student Association's Unity Scholarship Pageant.
Beamon said recognition for her hard work during her first year of college meant a lot because she was trying to balance her grades, the responsibilities of being a teenage mother and her social life.
"I knew that by putting God first, family second and dreams third, I would succeed," she said.
Guiden experienced technical difficulties while dancing with fellow competitor Dasia Gilbert to Hairspray's "Run and Tell That" during the talent portion of the pageant. After the song cut halfway through his dance, Guiden continued to dance and sing the song onstage.
"Well, we'd been having problems at rehearsal, but I didn't expect it to happen," he said. "We were in the moment. I wasn't going to let that ruin my chances at winning."
Eight women and nine men competed for the tiara and crown in the annual pageant, which awards scholarship money for active involvement in extracurricular activities and schoolwork to Ball State University students from diverse backgrounds.
Junior Alivia Johnson and senior Tim Ryan won the first runner-up spots and freshman Koren Hill and sophomore Aaron Gilbert won second runners-up.
Other awards included Mr. and Miss Congeniality, which went to Gilbert and sophomore Lericia Hawkins, and Most Ad Sales for the pageant booklet, won by Johnson.
Tiffany Washington, assistant director of student life, said the students' performance in the pageant counted toward the contestants' overall score. Contestants were pre-selected because of their attendance at Unity Week event practices and organization meetings, punctuality, essays, community service, grades and overall attitude, she said.
Beamon and Guiden said they plan to use their new titles to promote the pageant and on-campus multicultural organizations and events.
BSA president Ebony Strong said she was grateful for the Student Government Association's co-sponsorship of this year's pageant.
"Definitely the best part about it was that it was free, and anyone could come," she said. "The talent gets better every year, the contestants' personalities get better every year, and I really want to thank Ball State for their support."
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