Mr. and Miss Tougaloo: A Cinderella Story
by Wallace N. Jackson, STAFF WRITER
The theme of this year’s coronation was the Cinderella Story, the night in which Mr. and Miss Tougaloo College was crowned.
Deandria Magee, 21, a senior biology major from Tylertown is Tougaloo’s 2007-2008 queen.
“It was overwhelming, but I’m thankful that it went well,” Magee said. “Now, I’m looking forward to living a regular life again and getting back to my schoolwork.”
Cornelius Beasley, 22, a senior sociology major from Collins, is Tougaloo’s king for 2007-2008.
“Coronation went well,” Beasley said. “I really enjoyed myself, especially the play part of it. For the rest of the year, I plan on continuing to do workshops for the freshmen males. On Oct. 30 I plan on holding a forum about the state of the black man, discussing where he’s been, where is now and where he’s going. We’ll have a panelist of Tougaloo men, including Provost Abdul Turay, Blake Fuller, and Steve Smith.”
Former kings and queens graced Tougaloo’s coronation with their presence.
Kewanna Daniels, 22, a former Miss Tougaloo College queen from Gulfport was among Tougaloo’s royal family.
“I was really excited to be a part of coronation,” Daniels said. “Cornelius is my cousin and I was really excited to share this moment with him and Deandria. They looked amazing.”
“I think [Cornelius and Deandria] will do a great job. The rest of their year will be a lot of work, but they’ll work through it. If they just set goals for the year and put their minds to it. Both of them are ambitious and I just hope they put all of their hard work behind their ambition.” News anchors from WAPT served as the master and mistress of ceremonies. The ceremony included a duet serenade by Natasha Taylor, 21, a senior health and recreation major from Jackson, and Jarret Walters.
The night was filled with evil step sisters taunting a saddened and lowly Cinderella, a dancing mouse, and an elegant royal court.
Tegan Smith, 21, a junior history major from Jackson, enjoyed the coronation experience.
“We worked hard,” Smith said. “But it was a wonderful experience and I’d love to do it again. This is one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had while being at Tougaloo and I will always cherish it.”
Rebecca Hardin-Thrift, a creative writing professor who served as the actor’s costume designer, also enjoyed the efforts brought together to make this year’s coronation a success.
“It was lovely,” Hardin-Thrift said. “A lot of people worked very, very hard. There’s so much effort going into the dresses, the dancing, and everything, but it turned out beautiful. The whole coronation was a lot of work for everyone. We’re all so very proud.”
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