Ball State University sophomore Amanda Ostoich was sure the odds were against her.
"I am not your typical Miss Unity," Ostoich said. "I realize that I'm half Serbian and half Caucasian, and I am also bisexual, and I don't think I fit into the usual prototype of that person."
So when Ostoich captured the 2006 Miss Unity crown Saturday night, she knew the historically black pageant would never be the same.
"I wanted to do Miss Unity because if I perchance did get this title, I might be able to change one person's life for the better," Ostoich said.
Ostoich, from Fort Wayne, and eight other contestants competed in Pruis Hall Saturday night during the 2006 Miss Unity Scholarship Pageant, "A Moment Like This." The pageant, sponsored by the Black Student Association, was one of the final events of Unity Week.
At the end of the pageant, Miss Unity 2005 Amber Williams crowned Ostoich, who stood on the auditorium stage in a black gown. She smiled in disbelief as family members and friends approached and embraced her.
Brittny Smith, pageant chairwoman and BSA vice president, said this year was probably the first time a non-black student won the pageant. The pageant, originally titled Miss Black Ball State, began in 1968 and has been one of Unity Week's popular traditions.
"It shows you don't have to be African American to win Miss Unity," Smith said. "It's a matter of being able to show unity on Ball State's campus."
This is the first year a male escort received a Mr. Unity crown. Smith said freshman Moses Jones, who won the Mr. Unity title, and the other escorts worked as hard as the Miss Unity contestants did.
"There were a couple other people that I thought could have gotten it," said Jones, from Indianapolis. "So I was sort of surprised when I heard my name."
THE COMPETITION
The contestants and their male escorts began Saturday's competition with musical introductions, followed by a dance choreographed by Chadae' McAlister, mistress of ceremonies, to Janet Jackson's "What Have You Done For Me Lately." The pageant also consisted of an escort dance, talent competition, creative skits involving the women and their escorts and an impromptu question-and-answer segment.
The contestants also participated in a dance with their escorts to "Don't Change" by Musiq Soulchild. Williams then took her final walk and Ostoich took her first walk as Miss Unity.
"It was my first pageant," Ostoich said. "I didn't even know what the walk was."
Ostoich, who has danced since her freshman year of high school and has been a part of the Ball State Cardette dance team for the past two years, did a lyrical dance to The Fray's "How to Save a Life."
During a creative skit, she and her escort, freshman Josh Alvies, did a partner dance to Luther Vandross' "Dance With My Father." In the background, a slide show displayed their old family photos and poems honoring fathers.
Smith said Miss Unity contestants must demonstrate academic achievement, community involvement and participation in campus and multicultural events. Contestants also participated in private interviews in December on which their final pageant scores were based, Smith said.
"I always knew it was going to be very close, so I told them to come out tonight and shine," Smith said. "And the winner came out and evidently shined."
UNITY GOALS
Ostoich, who received a scholarship award of $1,200, will serve as spokesperson for the Miss Unity program, Smith said. Ostoich will also represent BSA and the Multicultural Center, participate in the fall Homecoming parade and select a community service project to do throughout the year.
Throughout the next year, Ostoich said she would work to unify campus and even begin an exchange program where members of various multicultural organizations visit meetings of groups they usually don't attend. She will also work to create more advertisements for the organizations and make them "seem less elitist and more open arms," she said.
"I don't think that you should have to be part of something to understand it and empathize with it," Ostoich said.
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