By Nadia Reese,
AFRO Editorial Assistant,
nadia@afro.com
Of the 22 contestants in the May 8 Miss HBCU Teen Pageant, it was Carline Boston who was crowned Miss HBCU Teen 2022 at the Windmill Arts Center in East Point, Ga. Boston was a senior at Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Brooklyn, N.Y. and an incoming freshman at Fisk University in Nashville, Tenn.
“It really does feel amazing and I say this all the time, but I’m still in shock that I ended up getting crowned because months ago I would have never imagined myself in this position,” Boston said. “This was my first pageant, I had no idea what to expect and just going through the whole process, seeing how much I grew as a person, and watching the work that I put in. The payoff was so rewarding and I’m just excited to see where this takes me and how much more I will grow with it.”
The mission of the Miss HBCU Teen Pageant is to provide resources, scholarships and support to girls of color in high schools who will be attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities. However, it seems that Boston has done the same while running for Miss HBCU Teen. Boston serves as the National Honor Society president in her school, and she is the youth Executive director of the Youth Power Coalition. The Youth Power Coalition is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering youth.
“In the future, I plan to get my degree in economics and hopefully do work in the economic development center,” Boston said. “Additionally, I want to focus my platform on financial literacy and as the next HBCU teen, I will use that platform to continue to emphasize the importance of financial literacy and economic mobility pathways, especially in underserved communities.”
Boston also comes from a family of four and her father immigrated from Guyana. Though, she wouldn’t be the first to attend a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). Boston hopes to spread awareness and the importance of HBCUs as well as their impact on communities.
“I think HBCUs are so important. A lot of my family members graduated from an HBCU. My mom graduated from Hampton University. Her father graduated from Hampton and I have an uncle who went to Winston Salem, so I grew up in that environment,” Boston said. “I knew that I wanted to attend an HBCU just because I feel like that experience is unmatched by any other. Just being around people that look like me and that are rooting for me, I think that you can’t get that experience in places other than an HBCU.”
In addition to Boston leading multiple organizations, and being a Fast Track Scholar, Boston was also a member of the Bayside Vipers Volleyball Club. “I plan on trying out when I get to and hopefully I can join the team, and continue to play volleyball,” Boston said.
When asked about advice she would give to future runners-up, Boston said, “I would definitely say, ‘just go for it.’ I think that the longer you wait, the more opportunities pass. Just go for it but don’t sell yourself short,” Boston advised. “Believe in yourself because you are equipped with all the skills that you need to fill the position and what was meant to be for you will be for you.”
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