Miss America Nina Davuluri will be coming to speak to The University of Mississippi student body about her national platform “Celebrating Diversity through Cultural Competency” Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in Fulton Chapel.
After being crowned Miss America in September, Davuluri was faced with negative comments on social media about her race. She is coming to the Ole Miss campus to discuss what she went through and to reach out to students about social media and its effects.
The event will be co-hosted by Ole Miss alumnus Sam Haskell, chairman and CEO of the Miss America Organization, as well as Student Union Director Bradley Baker. Courtney Pearson, 2012 homecoming queen, and Ty Allushuski, university assistant admissions director, will also be on the panel for the event.
Allushuski, who co-wrote with Ryan Whittington a chapter on social media for the Ole Miss Experience textbook used in the Freshman Year Experience Program classes, frequently lectures about social media during these classes and is very passionate about the topic. He believes the discussion with Davuluri will show both the positive and negative sides of social media.
“This is a great opportunity to have a conversation about social media, because it is a very relevant topic in our society today,” Allushuski said. “I am thrilled to have the perspective of Miss America; her thoughts and insight will be very interesting for our students and members of the Oxford and Lafayette communities.”
Davuluri is coming not only to speak to the students about social media, but also to participate in other things happening on campus. According to Haskell, Davuluri will meet with student leaders on Friday and flip the coin before the game on Saturday against Missouri.
Pearson, who felt the pressure of social media during her homecoming campaign, said she thinks social media can be both uplifting and hurtful at the same time. However, she thinks this can only make a person stronger. She said she is looking forward to Davuluri’s visit.
“Nina is a phenomenal leader and definitely a positive image and motivator for young women,” Pearson said. “Ty is also an incredibly smart man with some insights that I think a lot of students can benefit from. I know I am incredibly excited to be able to learn from Nina and Ty. It is an opportunity like no other, and I hope students take advantage of it.”
Sophomore broadcast journalism major McKenzie Mitchell, who currently holds the title as National Miss Princess America 2013 and recently placed in the top 15 in Miss Mississippi USA as Miss Oxford USA, said the key to interacting in social media content is to take it all in moderation.
“As a college student, I realize how much of an influence social media has on me and my friends around me, but I definitely think it has its positives and negatives,” Mitchell said.
— Maggie McDaniel
mhmcdani@go.olemiss.edu
