April is here, and it is time for another Royal Spotlight!
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 Brittnie Granville, Ms Black Alabama USA 2021.
Tell us about yourself.
I, recently crowned Ms. Black Alabama USA 2021, was born and raised in the small town of Florence, Alabama. I fell in love with dance and pageants at an early age. Growing up, I set a goal to eventually win and own a valuable title. Achieving this major accomplishment of being crowned such a prestigious title, I have been granted the opportunity to compete with others for the national title of Ms. Black USA 2021 in August.
I am a philanthropist leader, Autism Advocate, Amazon best-selling author, and natural born entrepreneur. I graduated from Muscle Shoals High school in 2008 and moved to Huntsville, Alabama. In 2011, I earned my Bachelor of Business Administration in Acquisition Management and accepted a Management Analyst position with the federal government. I acquired my Masters of Business Administration from Columbia Southern University with a 4.0 GPA. With a combination of education and experience, I gradually moved in the workforce and was eventually promoted to my current position as an Operations Research Analyst. I continued to invest in myself and my future and decided to start traveling the world and start my own businesses. I have traveled to over 30 countries and discovered a deeper life for community service and the flexibility of entrepreneurship. On my journey building my own empire, I successfully secured a certification in Entrepreneurship Essentials from Harvard Business School online and a certification in Women’s Entrepreneurship from Cornell University.
As an involved mother of my 9-year daughter, Brailynn Camille, I am a self-proclaimed mompreneur who actively balances my role as a single mother and an entrepreneur. My goal is to be a positive influence to girls and women all around the world by encouraging them to embrace their authentic self. My hobbies include dancing, reading, writing, modeling, acting, and traveling.
When did you start competing in pageants?
Since I was a little girl, I always expressed interest in fashion, beauty, and a glamorous lifestyle. When I was about 7 years old, I did a local Easter pageant and enjoyed it. I grew up doing local fashion shows, watching ANTM, and a proud viewer of major pageant organizations such as Miss America and Miss USA.
I really got into pageants in high school and competed locally. I started winning a couple of titles including Miss Northwest Alabama, Miss Oktoberfest, Miss Bronze. I enjoyed the experience of meeting new people and gaining confidence in myself with stage presence and public speaking. I took a break when I went to college and started a new path in life.
Why do you compete in pageants?
I decided to get back into pageants just recently because I am passionate about being a role model and would love to teach other young girls how to be confident in themselves and give back to the community. I also wanted to use the opportunity to secure a platform to spread Autism awareness, acceptance, and inclusion. Since my daughter was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, we have learned as much as we can about it. Over the years, we have become huge advocates for normalizing treating children with special needs with dignity and respect as well as providing them the same opportunities that would be offered to a typical child.
How many titles have you won?
I actually can’t remember when considering local titles. However, this is my first state title.
Tell us about the Miss Black USA Pageant.
The Miss Black USA Organization is the first and oldest scholarship pageant for women of color, awarding over $500,000 in scholarships. The pageant empowers women to own their power and celebrates their unique talents, traits and beauty. Miss Black USA defines her own standard of beauty and celebrates the whole women, mind, body and spirit, all shades of brown, hair texture and size. Miss Black USA is a non-profit corporation headquartered in the state of Maryland.
What have you learned about yourself through your pageant experience?
I learned that I have a great positive platform to use to empower, encourage, and educate a diverse range of audiences from black women to special needs families to single mothers.
What are your future plans for your pageant career?
I will be competing at the national Ms. Black USA pageant in August. Once the pageant is over, I will decide my next steps based on the results. Outside of that, I plan to do more speaking engagements and focus on pouring into our nonprofit.
What words of advice do you live by?
The best advice I have to give is to be proud of who you are and who you will become in the future, take advantage (but not for granted) the path that has been paved for you, and to simply enjoy life.
Please provide your contact information so that others can reach out to you. Email? Social media handles?
Email: brittniegranville@gmail.com
Facebook: @msblackalabamausa2021, @brittniegranville @empressherllc
Instagram: @msblackalabamausa @empressherllc
LinkedIn: @brittniegranville
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