A Profile on Shayna Rudd…Miss Black USA

By Don Saint James

Shayna Rudd, the reigning Miss Black USA, is not your typical beauty contest winner. Oh, sure…she's beautiful, poised and talented. Yes...she has won such prestigious titles as Miss District of Columbia, Miss Black Pennsylvania USA, Miss Howard University and Miss Black and Gold at Howard. Of course...she was a contestant in the 2008 Miss America pageant held in Las Vegas. Although unsuccessful in her bid to capture the crown, Rudd won the pageant's talent competition, and placed top five in the interview segment.

While Rudd is excited about serving as Miss Black USA from August, 2009 - August, 2010, she is just as excited about continuing to help young, inner-city American African women be the best that they can be. Even before wearing most of her crowns, Rudd, in 2005, had started Lady Diva Corp., a non-profit organization created to cultivate, encourage and empower African American females between the ages 14 -20. Presently, Rudd, 24, has Lady Diva chapters in Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia, with others ready to launch in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and a few other cities across America.

Born in a tough neighborhood in west Philadelphia, Rudd knows about growing up in the inner city, areas often infested with violence, crime, drugs and teen pregnancies. She is a product of a single-parent home; her father was not a major part of her life because of his affinity for drugs. Rudd, however, considers herself blessed to be raised by what she calls "a strong stock of black women," which included her mother, grandmother and great aunt. Yet, despite the many trappings of the inner-city, Rudd was determined to be somebody, and the three black women in her life provided the strong foundation and encouragement for her to succeed.
After completing high school, Rudd earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and African American Studies from Howard University. She is currently pursuing an MBA at Trinity Washington University in D.C. Rudd is also a former English and creative writing teacher at Maya Angelou Public Charter High School in Southeast Washington, D.C., one of city's most impoverished and underserved areas.

Rudd knows that she is required to travel across America as part of her responsibilities to the Miss Black USA Pageantry. Since winning the crown in August, she has taped a segment for Tyler Perry's "Meet the Browns," in Atlanta and has visited Ghana in West Africa. Rudd, however, is committed to reaching out to help encourage and empower young African American women in the inner-city sectors of the United States. "Although I am still young, I've seen a lot growing up in Philly," says Rudd. "It's easy for some young women to make bad decisions about their lives, but they don't have to settle. They can be strong, powerful and in control of their lives. They owe it to themselves to see all the good things that God has in store for them."

Shayna Rudd, Miss Black USA, can be reached by contacting Don Saint James at 313.258.9162 or via e-mail at mastermediadj@sbcglobal.net.