Author: Ashley Elliott
The night of May 14, 2017 was no ordinary night for SC State University alumna, Kára McCullough, ’13. In fact, it would be one that she would never forget. In just a matter of minutes, her life would change in the most profound way. A dream that she held in her mind’s eye since a little girl would soon be realized. Standing center stage donning a beautiful beige and white gown that swept the floor behind her, she waited in anticipation for the official announcement. After a few tense seconds, Kára heard the words – “Miss USA 2017 is…District of Columbia!” With tears streaming down her face, she received her colorful bouquet of flowers and bowed to receive her crown.  It was breathtakingly beautiful- aligned with sparkling jewels and stars, representing the country that she would now serve as Miss USA. After proudly taking her first walk down the long runway and receiving hugs from her peers, she looked into the camera and shared an inspiring message. “Follow your dreams. Don’t let anyone tell you it can’t happen.”

Looking back, Kára admits that she was initially shocked that she’d won, despite having prepared for this moment all her life. Rather than focus on the journey that led to that victorious night or what the future may hold however, she decided to fully embrace the moment. “I was just thankful for the entire experience,” she recalled. “Throughout the competition I just kept reminding myself that I need to enjoy the process rather than focus on the outcome. I like to believe my prayers were answered because I didn’t set too many unrealistic expectations but allowed myself to enjoy every bit of the process.”

Growing up in Virginia Beach, Va., Kára acquired the characteristics of a queen early on, quickly developing such qualities as confidence and maturity.  Additionally, she embraced three traits for success that would ultimately help mold her into becoming Miss USA. Not complaining and taking responsibility for individual actions, is the first key lesson she learned at a very young age. “When I was six years old I remember my mom telling me that I complained a lot, but I never really listened until one day one when I was at the Boys and Girls Club playing foosball with one of my peers, he was like wow you complain a lot. I think from that moment on, I stopped complaining,” noted Kára. Her second success strategy is an age-old adage taken from the best-selling book of all time. “You have to honor your mother and father like the Bible says to be successful. You can’t bite the hand that feeds you.” Lastly, she says it’s important to always have a growth mindset. “You have to constantly want to be working, constantly want to be enlightened, and constantly want to be fertilized so you can learn new things.”

Kára’s precocious thirst for knowledge, coupled with her passion for success, and strong work ethic, which she undoubtedly acquired from her mom who she deems her greatest mentor, automatically prepared her to experience all of the amazing opportunities coming her way. She could confidently say her vision for the future was pretty clear, particularly when it came to obtaining the Miss USA title, but there came one point in her life that wasn’t particularly mapped out. “Most people would be surprised to know that me attending South Carolina State University was actually happenstance,” she explained. “I had a Colonel that attended my church who gave me an application and I applied. Me attending turned out to be the most beautiful story because I didn’t have expectations but I set goals for myself regardless while I was there.”

One achieved goal was becoming Miss South Carolina State University a year prior to her graduation. During the University’s 75th coronation ceremony, appropriated themed, “A Celebration of Cultural Elegance,” Kára’s platform, “Keep Your Coins, Inspire for Change,” focused on empowering young black women in science, technology, engineering and math related (STEM) subjects. As a chemistry major, with a concentration in radiochemistry, her passion for all things STEM spilled over into other collegiate experiences which led her to become a member of the American Chemical Society, the Health Physics Society, the American Association of Blacks in Engineering, the American Nuclear Society, the Alpha Nu Sigma Honor Society, the Golden Key International Honor Society and the National Society of Black Engineers.

Undoubtingly, SC State University helped pave the way for the next chapter in her life, making her academically prepared and socially adept. She quickly began a career at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Washington, D.C. She also went on to compete in pageants, remembering her reign as Miss SC State University. Kára understood, after having to compete with many diverse individuals, that matriculating through an HBCU gave her a heightened level of confidence and solidified her rightful place in royalty. “The biggest advantage is being disadvantaged and since we attend HBCU’s we’re typically placed with placards on our heads saying that we’re not as depth as other students but when you use that to your advantage you can prove that you can perform just as well as ivy league students.”

Since its inception in 1952, the Miss USA organization has crowned close to 70 queens from various states across the U.S. Many have unique stories and backgrounds but only three have matriculated through an HBCU. This demonstrates the tenacity and defying of perceived disadvantages while solidifying the fact that there are endless opportunities for empowerment, self-awareness and unparalleled success for graduates of HBCU institutions. “We have to be very mindful and aware that there’s a lot of racial pressures and a lot of identity issues when it comes to the black community so we have to continue to especially uplift our young black men and our young women to always see themselves as young kings and queens and to remind them that you can’t be inferior to anyone,” stressed Kára. “We have to continually tell them that they are capable of accomplishing anything regardless of where you come from, what neighborhood you grew up in or what social economic status you felt like you were placed with a disadvantage in. HBCU’s should continue to provide that sense of achievement and accomplishment of being comfortable in your skin and knowing that you are powerful.”

Now that her reign is complete, there are a lot of things on the horizon for Kára, to include implementing various initiatives for her non-profit agency, developing youth travel camps, and motivational speaking. Her message for her peers and future generations is that the sky is truly the limit for anything they want to achieve, but it takes self-reflection and hard work. “When it comes to accomplishing goals and aspirations, we have to be mindful of the process.  To those little girls that aspire to be Miss USA or an Olympian or a Mathematician, I always tell them that you have to take your education seriously because that comes before anything,” explained Kára. “Take the time to find out what is it that just makes your heart burst into fireworks whether it be in a classroom or on the basketball court.  You have to find where your passion is first. Then you have to know yourself before you can enter into a competition or do anything for that matter.”

 

References

Miss USA, (2018). “Meet Miss USA 2017, Kára McCullough,

Retrieved from https://www.missuniverse.com/missusa/post/2174 

South Carolina State University, (2012). “Kára Deidra McCullough Named Miss SC State University 2012-2013.”

Retrieved from http://www.scsu.edu/event_details.aspx?event_id=930 

Wikipedia, (2018). “Miss USA and List of Miss USA titleholders.”

Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_USA

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Miss_USA_titleholders

The Hundred-Seven. (2017). “HBCU Pageant Participants.”

Retrieved from http://www.thehundred-seven.org/pageant.html

YouTube (2018). “Miss USA 2017 – Crowning Moment.”

Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g87OVd0Rbl4