Personal & Professional News

Brains as Well as Beauty

ALB Graduate Wins Ms. North America Pageant

Marian Woodward, ALB '00

How many students do you know who can compare the feeling of acing a difficult exam to winning an international beauty pageant? Actually, you might know at least one. Marian Woodward, ALB 2000, won the title of Ms. North America on October 23, 1999.

Ms. Woodward has 12 years of beauty pageant competing experience, which includes an international competition. She has four state crowns and titles and two national titles--Ms. Black USA 1995-96 and Ms. North America. "Beauty pageants are a passion of mine because they give me the opportunity to express myself on stage before a live audience," said Ms. Woodward. "Also, they provide a national platform for me to speak about social issues that have an effect on all of our lives."

For example, during her reign as Ms. Black USA, her platform was literacy, specifically targeting school-age children within the United States. Remarkably, her platform was extended from America to Calcutta, India, where she worked with Mother Teresa and presented her with a humanitarian award from the pageant. "It was a dream come true for me and the most memorable day in my life," commented Ms. Woodward. Currently, in her role as Ms. North America, Ms. Woodward is focusing on working with children with AIDS. This includes, but is not limited to, local hospital visitations and making personal appearances to support the cause of finding a cure for AIDS. She is also a community volunteer with the Women's Lunch Place, Selma's Home for Children with AIDS, the Smile Train, the Walk for Hunger, and the Salvation Army.

"Beauty pageants have been a very positive developmental experience for me, but so has my education experience at the Harvard Extension School. In June of 1996--during my Ms. Black USA reign--I attended Harvard Summer School. It was during this period that I knew that the Harvard Extension School would be perfect for me. So in September of 1997, I moved to the Boston area--without a friend, relative, or job--just in time for the fall semester. Almost three years and a lot of hard work later, I graduated on June 8, 2000." Ms. Woodward now attends Cambridge College Graduate School of Management.