Last Tuesday, Miss Methodist 2010 made Methodist history by being the first international student to win the crown. Miss Methodist 2010 is Sakun Gajurel, a sociology major from Nepal.



"I need to be a role model now," said Gajurel. "It really shows how accepting this school is of the international students that I was crowned."

Each year, a new Miss Methodist is selected from a group of outgoing Methodist University students. This year there were 12 contestants, including First Alternate Ashley Deese, Second Alternate Stacy Cassanova, and Miss Congeniality Rachel Whitmire. Intermittent performances by the a capella group Ball in the House kept the evening lively between each event. Miss Methodist 2009 Michelle Simmons emceed the event.

From the moment the contestants walked onto the stage, it was clear that the contestants represented the diversity of the MU student body. As the contestants introduced themselves, they revealed diverse interests, backgrounds, and career goals. The talent section that came directly after revealed an array of interesting acts.

Of the 12 contestants, six sang a song and three played an instrument. This repetition, however, made Brenda Conteh's African dance routine and Gajurel's comedic routine a breath of fresh air to bookend the talent portion. Casey Southard performed an original poem about her son toward the middle of the section.

"Brenda's talent was my favorite because it was original," said Renisha Brown, a sophomore audience member. "It really stood out because so many people sang or played an instrument."

All of the musical acts used accompaniment music except Holly Shupe, who played "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" on the flute, and Aryn Hicks, who sang Alicia Keys' "If I Ain't Got You.” These two stood out for that reason. Though Shupe had a few hiccups, her range was impressive. Hicks quickly earned the respect of the audience with her strong, clear voice.

There were a few performances that dragged out far too long, like Stacey Cassanova’s “It Is Well.” Other contestants, like Ashley Baggett and Doris Tolevans, should have been told ahead of time not to sing. While Baggetts routine with a rain coat and umbrella were a good start to her performance of “I Can See Clearly Now,” her tone was uneven and she often missed the beat. Tollevan’s rendition of Diana Ross’s “Missing You” was so bad that people were actually leaving the auditorium.

During the intermission, the audience was invited to vote for their favorite talent. The votes were counted toward the contestant's final score. Baggett and Gajurel were nearly tied for most votes. In the lobby, members of the Economics Anonymous club sold keychains to benefit Haitian relief and SAC members sold t-shirts for Breast Cancer Awareness.

After the intermission, Simmons introduced several visiting queens and Ball in the House performed again. Among their original song, Ball in the House performed a commercial that they recorded for Cool Whip at Christmas time.

During the formal wear and interview round, contestants were announced by Simmons and interviewed by Miss Fayetteville 2010 Kinsey Boarts. Contestants modeled their formal gowns and answered prepared questions like, "What motivates you?" and "Would you rather be liked or respected?" Ashley Baggett's red halter dress was the nicest of the night.

The top five contestants were announced after the first interview round. Cassanova, Deese, Gajurel, Whitmire, and Baggett were all given a second interview question. Some of the candidates handled this second round well, but others had more comical responses.

Gajurel got a similar question as her first, "Who was your most influential teacher?" In the first round, she answered that a high school teacher had influenced her the most. In the second round, she was asked to pick her favorite professor at Methodist. Gajurel chose her advisor.

Deese also received the same question for both rounds of interviewing. In the second round, the original question, "Would you rather be liked or respected?" was swapped for a new question. When asked "What would you change at Methodist?" she responded that new traditions without such high morals should be started. This would move us into the new decade.

The other responses included Baggett’s reference to a serial rapist when claiming she felt safe in Fayetteville and Cassanova’s contention that, as president for a day, she would hold outdoor classes. Whitmire’s response was concise and thoughtful when describing why athletes should be respected as role models.

By the time Ball in the House went on for their final song, the audience had begun getting restless. Simmons was then given a chance to say a farewell speech before crowning the new Miss Methodist. As she said thank you to her many friends, family and supporters, the younger members of the crowd began fidgeting more and more.

When the curtain finally opened to reveal the pageant participants, the audience was on the edge of their seats. The men of Ball in the House gave sashes, flowers and certificates to the winners of Miss Congeniality, First Alternate, and Second Alternate. Both alternates said that they had a lot of fun will and participate in the pageant next year.

When Doris Jackson, director of Student Activities, announced that Miss Methodist would be the first international student to wear the crown, the crowd began cheering. Many members of the audience were on their feet. Their cheers were so loud that Gajurel's name was completely drowned out.

Several international students said after the show that they were very excited about the outcome and that they were proud of Gajurel.

"We're taking over," said Byron Lowe, a student from the Bahamas. "Next, it'll be SGA president."

Gajurel said after the show that she wished her mom could have been at the show. Growing up, she was a tomboy and her mom would have been very proud of her for getting so dressed up. In her freshman year, she participated in Miss Methodist, but didn't make it into the top five.

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