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Despite her success, Pierre is a relative newcomer to the pageant world. As an undergraduate student at Syracuse University, she signed up for the Miss Black and Gold scholarship competition on a lark with friends鈥攁nd won. After placing second in the state-wide competition, she began taking pageants more seriously as opportunities for personal growth and community service.

鈥淎 lot of people think we鈥檙e like princesses and queens,鈥� she laughed, 鈥渂ut we really are servant leaders and we value giving back and leaving an impact.鈥�

In the 100 years since its founding, the Miss America pageant has evolved from a beauty competition known for swimsuits and evening gowns to an event where women are judged on their artistic talent and leadership skills. Each contestant develops a social impact initiative which, if they receive the title, becomes their focus for the next year.

In developing her initiative, 鈥淲e Hear You: Empowering Youth Voices,鈥� Pierre drew from her personal and professional experiences. Growing up, her Haitian family expected children to defer to adults, a dynamic that made Pierre feel stifled at times.聽

鈥淚 love my culture with all my heart but I didn鈥檛 necessarily feel like my voice was heard,鈥� she recalled. 鈥淓ven in American culture, I think the adult is often the voice you listen to.鈥�

At the Center for Teen Empowerment, which encourages young people to lead social change, Pierre helps teenagers identify issues they care about鈥攚hether it鈥檚 the environment or LGBTQ+ rights鈥攁nd figure out how to make a difference. As Miss Massachusetts, she鈥檚 continued that work online, hosting Instagram Live sessions and connecting with youth through social media platforms like TikTok (where she has more than 78,000 followers) to discuss issues like food insecurity and inequalities brought to light by the COVID-19 pandemic.聽

鈥淓ventually, I鈥檓 hoping to go into different schools and programs and meet young people all over the state and help them find their voices,鈥� she explained. 鈥淥ur young people are engaged and they know what鈥檚 going on, it鈥檚 just a matter of listening to them.鈥�

At 艾可直播 College, Pierre is studying to be a licensed clinical social worker with the goal of helping youth and their families work through trauma. As one of 15 students selected for the recently-launched聽Black Leadership Initiative, Pierre鈥檚 classroom and fieldwork experiences will include a focus on issues faced by the Black community.

鈥淚n a lot of the spaces I鈥檓 in, I tend to be the only Black woman, and I feel like the education I鈥檝e gotten has been very Eurocentric,鈥� said Pierre. 鈥淎s a social worker, I want to be an advocate for all identities, so I鈥檓 looking forward to seeing things through a different lens.鈥澛�

Balancing classes, a part-time job, and the Miss Massachusetts crown means a packed schedule and lengthy to-do list, but each item has contributed to Pierre鈥檚 growing sense of purpose. Pageants, in particular, have forced her to identify and articulate who she wants to be, and the impact she wants to have on society. In the talent portion of the competition, Pierre shows off her dance skills (she does everything from tap to jazz) but the interview portion is what she spends the most time preparing for.

鈥淓very single day it鈥檚 a battle of 鈥榃hat is Liz?鈥� and 鈥榃hat does Liz believe?鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really important that the message I share is one I really mean, and it takes a lot of introspection. You have to know yourself and what you believe in, in order to be fully yourself on that stage.鈥澛�

Alix Hackett | University Communications | November 2021