King crowned Miss UWA for 2018

Khadijah King (center) of Westbury, New York, was named Miss UWA 2018 during the Miss UWA scholarship pageant on Thursday, Nov. 9. Pictured after the crowning are, left to right, first runner up and lifestyle/fitness winner Bailey Anderson of Hurley, Miss.; Miss Alabama 2017 Jessica Procter; King; Miss UWA 2017 Summer Abston; and second runner up Kennedi Sanders of Columbus, Miss.
Individual stage photos of participants and winners are available upon request.

LIVINGSTON, Ala.—Khadijah King of Westbury, New York, is the new Miss University of West Alabama and will represent the University in the 2018 Miss Alabama Pageant, a Miss America preliminary held in Birmingham in June.

Miss UWA 2017 Summer Abston crowned King, joined by special guests University President Ken Tucker and SGA President Jonathan Knox. Miss Alabama 2017 Jessica Procter served as emcee for the evening.

Six ladies vying for the title competed in five categories, including private interview, an onstage question, lifestyle and fitness, talent, and evening wear.

A graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in student affairs for higher education, Miss UWA 2018 Khadijah King has chosen a platform that empowers females. “Damsel in Success” gives girls and women of all ages the tools to market their talents, skills and passions to create opportunities and succeed in any environment.

“When I heard my name called, my first thought was that ‘Damsel in Success’ is going to take flight,” King said. “My platform is focused on closing the pay gap for females, and this will be an opportunity to reach a plethora of women.”

King calls it a top honor to represent UWA for the year at various events and ultimately at the Miss Alabama pageant, and she hopes beyond.

“Being crowned Miss University of West Alabama is so surreal,” King explained. “You practice and practice to make sure everything is perfect, but you never know what the judges want to see. I am honored that they saw character and talent in me.”

King also won the talent portion of the evening with a jazz vocal performance of “Sway” by Michael Buble.

Bailey Anderson was named first runner up, and she also won the lifestyle and fitness portion of the evening. Anderson is a freshman from Hurley, Miss., majoring in nursing. Her talent was a vocal performance of “This Girl is on Fire” by Alicia Keys. Her platform, “Think Before You Speak” raises awareness for bullying and encourages positive peer-to-peer relationships.

Kennedi Sanders was named second runner up. She is a senior psychology major from Columbus, Miss. Her talent was a jazz dance to “Fearless” by Jasmine Murray.

The Miss America Organization is the nation’s leading advocate for women’s education and the largest provider of scholarship assistance to young women in the United States, awarding millions of dollars annually. It is also dedicated to empowering young women to further their personal, professional and educational goals and instill a spirit of community service through a variety of unique, local and nationwide, community-based programs, including the annual Miss America Serves event sponsored by Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

Last year, the Miss America Organization and its state and local organizations made available more than $45 million in cash and scholarship assistance. The Miss America Organization is the world’s largest scholarship assistance provider for young women.

For more on Miss UWA 2018 Khadijah King’s journey, follow Miss UWA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MissUWA.

To learn more about the Miss UWA scholarship pageant, contact Danielle Miller at dmiller@uwa.edu.