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Miss Black Louisiana -Terysa Shavon Singleton to Visit The Gambia

Terysa Shavon Singleton will be visiting Gambia, West Africa at the end of May to compete in the Miss Black USA pageant. A meet and greet ceremony was held in her honor on March 30 at the North Park Civic Center. Special guests included Opelousas Mayor Donald Cravins Sr., Sunset Mayor Cecil Lavergne and State Sen. Donald Cravins Jr. Singleton was presented with the keys to the city of Opelousas by the mayor and also honored with the keys to the city of Sunset, which is Singleton's birthplace.

"We are very proud of Terysa for representing the great state of Louisiana, and we know she will represent us very well. I wish her the best in her travels," said State Sen. Cravins. Singleton earned a bachelor's degree in computer science from Southern University. She has also achieved various awards including the Baton Rouge Unsung Hero Award, Habitat for Humanity community service award and the Smart Scholar of Southern University. Singleton remains highly involved in bettering the education system for Louisiana students.

"I think its wonderful we have someone from our area to serve as goodwill ambassador to Africa," said Mayor Cravins.
The meet and greet also served as a fundraiser for Singleton's approaching trip to Africa. Lavergne, who lived in Africa for ten years, added "It should be a very nice experience for her; Gambia is an extremely quite and peaceful country."

The journey for the Miss Black USA crown will begin on May 20 in Arlington, Virginia and culminate on June 1 in Gambia, West Africa. This year's pageant theme is "A Royal Journey Back to our Roots" and each contestant will be judged not only on interview, but also her knowledge of African culture.