Mariama Rogers has an inviting smile, a serious career goal and a heart for service and it was evident on Aug. 21 as she was crowned the new Miss Freshman 2024-25 during the annual Miss Freshman Pageant.
Held in the Leila Barlow Theater at Alabama State University’s Tullibody Fine Arts Center at 7 p.m., Rogers was crowned in a theater filled to capacity as students, relatives, and friends observed this historic occasion.
Rogers, a native of Atlanta, Georgia who graduated from Tri-Cities High School, is an 18-year-old freshman pursuing a degree in dance. For the talent competition, she performed a contemporary dance to “Follow the Light” by Rum.gold.
She felt that the experience of running for and winning the title of Miss Freshman shaped her as a college student and, more importantly, as a human being.
“As I said before, it’s a very big testament to myself and who I will become if that makes sense,” Rogers said. “Knowing that you can put your mind to it, knowing that if you do the work, put the work in and just keep your head on straight, God will bless you at all times. And that’s the biggest thing for me, knowing that you’re going to be blessed regardless.”
Rogers’ platform is “R.O.G.E.R That!” The acronym stands for “reaching our goals, entertaining our responsibility.” It was shaped from Rogers’ last name to give a personal connection to the platform. The goal of the platform is to inspire and elevate the campus community by taking responsibility for themselves and achieving their goals.
The pageant contestants were evaluated by three professional judges who have been titleholders: Krista Loyd Hawkins, CharaieCelia Hamilton, and Arianna Thompson.
The contestants competed in four separate competitions. The contestants showed their spirit in a spirit competition where they could excite the crowd, followed by a talent competition where they all demonstrated their dancing skills. Since most contestants were dancers, they elected to perform choreography that showed their flexibility and charisma.
Rogers runners-up included Harmony Bailey, Iyonna Harris, and Brooklyn Peagues.
Despite her feelings of joy about the pageant process, she said that it was not without challenges.
Rogers shared, “I feel like the hardest part of my journey was keeping my faith. There are always so many challenges and everything that’s in front of me. I really took the time to keep my faith in God and my faith in myself.”