The Royal Spotlight is an interview series where I highlight queens from a variety of pageant systems. This month I have the pleasure of featuring Bria Virgil, Miss Black Empowerment.
Tell us about yourself.
I am a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I relocated to Houston, Texas summer of 2019. I earned a bachelor’s degree in communication, double concentrating in public Relations and advocacy and a master’s in public administration concentrating in Health Administration both from the University of Louisiana Monroe. Along with being a full-time student, I founded a non-profit organization called Pretty with a Purpose which aims to empower girls through the art of pageantry.
I am also a graduate of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) NextGen Young Leadership Development Program. I have been a member of the NAACP since 2014, and I am also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. I am currently employed at Girls Empowerment Network, working in fundraising and corporate engagement. In my leisure time, I compete in pageants and have a noteworthy pageantry career.
When did you start competing in pageants?
I started competing in 2011, winning my first local title of Miss Capital City Teen USA and then going on to compete at Miss Teen Louisiana USA 2011. I am currently going into my 10th year of my pageant career.
Why do you compete in pageants?
I compete in pageants because it builds self-efficacy in myself. Pageantry has instilled confidence in myself and grants me the opportunity to pour into other girls and women. Competing in pageants has inspired me to create my own nonprofit organization, Pretty with a Purpose, that builds girls self-esteem through one-on-one mentoring and its pageant program. I feel that all girls should have access to pageantry despite their financial status. Pretty with a Purpose provides an affordable pageant experience to girls in towns with documented struggling youth.
How many titles have you won?
I have won 4 titles: Miss Capital City Teen USA, Miss Louisiana Teen International, Miss Black Ouachita Parish, and Miss Black Empowerment.
Tell us about your pageant system.
Miss Black Empowerment & Mr. Black Louisiana are the premiere pageant systems for African American women and men! Our royal courts have proven their loyalty, dedication and commitment to their communities, parishes/counties and states through their tireless and unselfish service in mentorship, community service, leadership, and public awareness to topics persistently avoided, ignored or rejected in our community. Our mission is to Empower, Enhance, Encourage & Educate one another. By doing so, together we can “Be The Change” we want to see!
What have you learned about yourself through your pageant experience?
I can be unstoppable. Competing in pageants takes a lot of perseverance and there are a lot of no’s or obstacles that are on the route to the title. Pageantry has taught me how to push through these obstacles and work harder for my goals.
What are your future plans for your pageant career?
I plan to win the Miss Houston USA and then go on to Miss Texas USA. My goal is to become Miss Universe and then open my own coaching studio.
What words of advice do you live by?
“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome”. – Booker T. Washington
Please provide your contact information so that others can reach out to you. Email? Social media handles?
Email: briavirgil@icloud.com
Instagram: @briavirgil
Facebook: Bria Virgil
Twitter: @briaavirgil
Bria Virgil your motive behind pageants is absolutely inspiring. Being an African American girl as well, it can be discouraging hearing people’s stories like yours lighten the overall process.