At the Miss ASCC Pageant this past Saturday, contestant Ms. Grace Lagai won the highest score and was crowned by ASCC President Dr. Rosevonne Makaiwi-Pato. Here, Ms. Lagai prepares to perform her victory taualuga, obviously deeply moved by her achievement. (Photo: J. Kneubuhl)
Ms. Grace Lagai (center), the newly-crowned Miss ASCC, celebrates with her cousin So’onafai Lagai-Seloti (left) and Ashley Felise of ASCC Student Services. Ms. Lagai took the crown at the Miss ASCC Pageant held this past Saturday at the College. (Photo: J. Kneubuhl)
At the Miss ASCC Pageant this past Saturday, contestant Ms. Grace Lagai won the highest score and was crowned by ASCC President Dr. Rosevonne Makaiwi-Pato. Here, Ms. Lagai prepares to perform her victory taualuga, obviously deeply moved by her achievement. (Photo: J. Kneubuhl)
Ms. Grace Lagai (center), the newly-crowned Miss ASCC, celebrates with her cousin So’onafai Lagai-Seloti (left) and Ashley Felise of ASCC Student Services. Ms. Lagai took the crown at the Miss ASCC Pageant held this past Saturday at the College. (Photo: J. Kneubuhl)
Miss ASCC Pageant Returns
October 29, 2018
By James Kneubuhl, ASCC Press Officer
After a hiatus of five years, the Miss ASCC Pageant made its return on Saturday, October 27th. Five young ladies representing the various ASCC student clubs vied for the title of the College’s ceremonial representative for public events on and off campus in an event organized by the ASCC Student Government Association (SGA). The evening climaxed with the Pageant judges announcing Ms. Grace Lagai, 19, as the contestant with the highest score, followed by ASCC President Dr. Rosevonne Makaiwi-Pato’s crowning of Ms. Lagai as the new Miss ASCC.
This year’s contestants represented a wide range of student organizations. Besides Ms. Lagai, the contestants were Ms. Aisavali Peters, age 19, of Pago Pago, sponsored by Fresh Print; Belinda Tiatia, 20, of Petesa, is running as Miss X-Factorial; Emma Davenport, 19 and another Petesa resident, representing the Political Science Club; and Leulynn Leifi, who will soon turn 19, sponsored by the Student Association for FaaSamoa. All of the contestants gave spirited and creative performances which kept the capacity audience in the Multipurpose Center Auditorium engaged throughout the event.
The duties and responsibilities of Miss ASCC include wearing her official crown and sash at all official functions during her reign as required. She must also present herself in speech, actions and dress in the manner befitting her title. Miss ASCC serves as an honorary member of the SGA and as a representative of ASCC for one full term which includes the fall and spring semesters. Candidates must be ASCC students between age 18 and 23, and must meet academic requirements that include a cumulative grade point average of 2.7 or higher.
Competition in a variety of categories gave this year’s five contestants the opportunity to show their unique abilities. During the evening’s program, the categories included Chief Wear (traditional) and Siva Samoa; Talent, which each contestant had creative leeway to display; and Formal Wear and Stage Interview, in which each contestant modeled a Puletasi incorporating the official ASCC colors of maroon and gold, and next asked to discuss in depth their response to a question posed by the moderator.
“We feel very excited to bring back our Miss ASCC Pageant,” said Dean of Student Services Dr. Emilia Le’i, whose division oversees the SGA. “The last five years have seen a major re-configuring of the ASCC student clubs, which are now all now aligned to a specific area of study or cultural interest. Traditionally, the contestants for the Miss ASCC title have come from these clubs. However, following the re-configuration of the ASCC clubs, it took time for new ones to form, and during this period we did not have enough clubs from which to draw contestants the Pageant. Fortunately, the number of clubs we have now has made it possible for us to bring back selecting a new Miss ASCC.”