STATESBORO  — Ajayla Shaw won the title of 2019 Miss Black Georgia Southern University, the first to be exact. 

The Atlanta native is a 19 year old sophomore business finance major at GS. Shaw had never competed in a pageant before but wanted to get out of her comfort zone. 

“The pageant was a scholarship pageant based on the mentorship and uplifting of women of campus, and that alone stood out to me,” Shaw said. “I also wanted a position to better implement the platform that I feel passionately about.”

Shaw grew close to the contestants and found all that she was capable of throughout the pageant process. As Miss Black GSU, Shaw believes that it is up to her to implement a program on campus that encourages and uplifts women.

Body positivity, the cycle of colorism and women feeling comfortable in their skin are subjects that are important to shaw. Representing the black community on campus is an honor to Shaw and something she is proud of. 

Sarah Smith, The George-Anne News Editor, gaeditor@georgiasouthern.edu