On May 2, the University of Denver’s Black Student Alliance (BSA) hosted their second annual Affinity Pageant, an event aimed to create a space for underrepresented individuals to showcase their talents, passions and beauty.
The event was founded and spearheaded by BSA’s vice president Theodora Boateng, a second-year majoring in strategic communications and theatre.
Boateng, inspired by her love for pageantry, brought a similar platform to the DU community. After advocating for the event last year, she led its return with the collaboration of BSA’s new executive board.
“Last year I was the newest person on the e-board leading this project but I had a whole bunch of veterans supporting me. But now this year, there’s only two veterans,” said Boateng. “So knowing how to support the brand new e-board through this project has probably been the most difficult part.”
Despite this, the event was a total success, hosting over 40 attendees and seven delegates who competed in three categories: on-stage questions, talent and evening gown.
The event started with a brief introduction of each of the judges who would be scoring throughout the night. Boateng was joined by Amarri Bishop, a second year student studying biology who also serves as the programming director of BSA.
The judges panel consisted of Asha Bhattacharya, a clinical psychology doctoral student at DU who currently holds the title of Miss Denver; Izzy Hubbart, holding the title of Miss Denver Teen; Raja-Nee Keys, Miss Black Colorado 2026 and the owner and founder of Black Women Run; Sydney Hella, Miss Colorado USA; and Aaliyah Berry, a public policy student at DU. Although this panel had much experience in the world of pageantry, BSA also hosted a panel of auditors to help ensure scoring was accurate and fair.
The pageant followed a typical structure, with a preliminary round and a finalist round oncethe top five delegates had been selected.
The preliminary round kicked off with the audience cheering as the seven delegates made their way into the room — each dressed in beautiful gowns that were unique to each participant’s style and identity.
Once they lined the stage, the on-stage questions round commenced. From community building and mental health to balancing academics with extracurriculars, the audience and judges had an opportunity to learn about the contestant’s values and passions.
The talent portion began with Alice Tsao solving a rubik’s cube in less than 90 seconds. Then, Madison James took to the stage, singing a beautiful rendition of “Maybe This Time” from Cabaret. Mia Butler performed an improvised song on a kalimba, a small percussion instrument. Lulu Abuaba blew the audience away with her guitar and vocal skills, performing “Wildflower” by Billie Eilish.
Cemara Johnson, who competed in last year’s affinity pageant, read a memorized excerpt from her own novella titled “House of God.” Namugga Nakayiza — last year’s runner up — lip-synced and danced to “Upside Down” by Diana Ross. Arlo Frost wrapped up the talent portion with a reading of their poem titled “Spoiled” which was published in Foothills, DU’s literary magazine.
During a brief transition into the evening gown portion of the final round, Boateng improvised some on-stage questions, but this time, for the audience. Attendees role played as Miss America and were put on the spot, sharing insights about the hockey team and community service initiatives.
Boateng also thanked all of the volunteers who helped set up the event, coordinate wardrobe and audit the scores.
As each delegate took to the stage in their evening gown, Boateng and Bishop — a finalist in last year’s pageant — read out facts about each contestant, highlighting their individual achievements and aspirations.
Following intermission, the top five finalists were announced: James, Abuaba, Nakayiza, Frost and Butler.
In the finals round, delegates answered another set of on-stage questions. Responses reflected themes of self-confidence, community and resilience.
Butler spoke about overcoming stage fright as a Lamont student, while Frost encouraged students to embrace failure. Nakayiza touched on expanding opportunities for students of color through her time in the study abroad office and Abuaba defined accomplishment as being able to give back to those who supported her journey.
While judges deliberated, organizers invited a brief appearance from USG vice presidential candidate Justin Walker, who volunteered at the event with his running mate, Madeleine Dierking. Boateng also engaged official title-holding judges in a short discussion about their experiences in this space.
The evening concluded with a series of awards announced by Bishop.
Superlative Awards
Miss Congeniality: Frost
Director’s Choice: Tsao
Spirit of Community: Frost
Non-finalist Awards
On-stage questions: Johnson
Talent: Tsao
Evening Gown: Tsao
Top Category Awards
On-stage question: Frost
Talent: Abuaba
Evening gown: Frost
Placement awards were read by Sisterhood representative Danielle Sor.
Placement awards
Fourth runner up: Butler
Third runner up: James
Second runner up: Nakayiza
First runner up: Abuaba
Frost was crowned Miss Affinity DU, marking the end of the competition. In a post-show interview, Frost reflected on the event and the community behind it. Though new to pageantry and intimidated by performing on stage, Frost was grateful for the win and noted that spaces like BSA’s affinity pageant remain vital in uplifting underrepresented voices.
“My favorite part was getting to know these girls and feeling like a real community. It was beautiful,” said Frost.
After the event, finalist Nakayiza spoke to the broader impact of the pageant, describing it as “an opportunity for young people of color to be recognized, especially on a campus where they may feel shadowed and not fully represented.” She added that the pageant creates spaces “to recognize one another and see each other for our purposes, our dreams and whatever makes us feel beautiful.” Events like this challenge common misconceptions about pageantry. Boateng noted that the space was about self-expression and having fun.
“You don’t have to look a certain way to have fun,” Boateng said.
The celebration ended with confetti as attendees gathered around the winner, closing out a night centered on representation, creativity and community.
Students interested in being a part of this community can follow @du_bsa and @sisterhood_du on Instagram for more information on upcoming events and initiatives.
