Members of various campus organizations came together to participate in the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. scholarship pageant.Every year, the Theta Omicron Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. hosts their “Miss Krimson and Kream Scholarship Pageant” in order to promote scholarship, service and excellence. This year was a little different than most.

The contestants included women from different groups on campus, including Greek organizations. In order, the participants were: Fanny Laufters, Aaratthi Thushyanthan, Dani Nicholson, Joy McDowell, Gabbi Franklin, Chrissy Taylor and Christina Townsend. The brothers selected these women early in the semester based on their application process.

Aaratthi Thushyanthan, a member of Delta Phi Omega Sorority, Inc., was thrilled to participate. A junior from Winston-Salem, N.C., she performed a classical dance piece as her talent, complete with the famous “Kappa shimmy.”

“Participating in this event was completely out of my comfort zone, but I was totally excited for the experience and memories to come from it,” said Thushyanthan.

Throughout the course of the pageant process, each contestant was responsible to planning and fundraising a particular service project of their choosing

“The winner gets the chance to conduct her service project, sponsored by our fraternity,” said Keenan Harrell, a brother of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

This year’s theme was “Top Model,” and it was hosted for the first time in the union auditorium. The fraternity sold well over 100 tickets, and the event was largely considered a success.

The first place winner was Chrissy Taylor, a sophomore from Shelby, N.C. The second place winner was Christina Townsend, a sophomore from Waxaw, N.C. and the third place winner was Dani Nicholson, a freshman from Ocala, Fla.

There was never a dull moment as the audience and the participants were more than excited to be a part of such a long-standing tradition. Thushyanthan explained her excitement about the show afterwards.

“My favorite part of the pageant was working with the brothers of the fraternity and becoming good friends with the rest of the pageant court. Everyone was enthusiastic and willing to work together to put on a great show. Each girl brought something so different to the stage, and it was really exciting to see everyone's passion in performance.”