A unique occasion for a unique university: ‘Miss Allen University—2016-17’

The Allen University (AU) community was treated to a unique occasion Thursday, November 10, 2016 at the Chappelle Auditorium. This special and significant event added luster to the varied and continued activities of AU this academic year. Miss Allen’s Coronation was the first to be held in the newly rededicated Bishop Richard F. Norris Center of Performing Arts.

The institutional atmosphere on campus reached its zenith when amid pomp and splendor Miss Allen University 2016 was crowned on this significant day. Four queens—representing Benedict College, Claflin University, Voorhees College and South Carolina State University joined Miss Allen University during the regal ceremonies. Miss Allen was joined by hosts of AU organization and club queens. Indeed, no queen is complete without her royal court and Miss Allen was flanked by hers during the ceremonies. Allen University’s Interim President, Dr. Ernest McNealey, presented her with yellow roses as part of the crowning ceremony.

Miss Deserae Lasha McFadden, a native of Kingstree, SC, is an outstanding accounting student who has had a special association with Allen University both in her individual capacity and in her family’s history. Her association with AU has a history that is ancestry-connected. In fact, her bond with AU goes back three generations. Her grandparents, Mrs. Dorothy Wilson and Mr. Abie Wilson graduated from this august institution in 1946. Her grandparents, says Miss McFadden, influenced her decision to join AU as a student and continue the bond with AU on behalf of the family. She describes this connection not only as instrumental (earning quality education), but also emotional. The strong thread that connects the family with Allen University may well remain interwoven over the next generation(s) through her agency, that is, her future family.

Deserae’s academic achievements and her active participation in a number of professional associations and initiatives are remarkable pointers towards the qualities she exhibited since she joined AU. Her major area of study is Accounting, Banking and Finance, in one of the strongest areas of study at AU—Business Administration. She intends to associate herself with a new and unique area of specialization when she is done with her Baccalaureate. This, she relayed is forensic accounting which constitutes a relatively new area of specialization that derives its methodology from anthropology.

She remarks that she feels honored to be selected as ‘Miss Allen University’ this year. “I am proud that the university community at Allen University bestowed upon me this distinguished position. The joy and honor of my selection as Miss Allen University is not only mine, but also my family’s and particularly that of my grandparents”, she affirmed.