Student wins title and scholarship
University of Indianapolis senior Lauren Nicole Rascoe won the title of Miss Black Indiana US Ambassador in the Miss Black US Ambassador Scholarship Pageant this past July.
A double major in visual communication design and experience design, she is now the college ambassador of the Center for Leadership Development and the co-event planning chair of the Black Student Association.
University of Indianapolis senior, Lauren Roscoe Photo by Mia Lin
For a long time, Rascoe has devoted herself to a number of volunteer organizations, such as Boys and Girls’ Clubs of Indianapolis, the Boys II Men, Inc. mentoring program and Delta GEMS. She said that her enthusiasm for volunteering spurred on her determination to become Miss Black Indiana US Ambassador.
Associate Professor of Art and Design Julia Taugner has had Rascoe in many classes. She said that Rascoe is an outstanding student, so she was not surprised that Rascoe received this honor.
“She is very well-rounded and is an exceptionally good communicator, including visual communication, writing and speaking,” Taugner said. “She is outgoing and oriented toward leadership through her awareness of issues in contemporary culture and her orientation toward helping others reach their full potential.”
Rascoe’s life goal is to make three major impacts: to impact Indianapolis youth, to impact her community and to impact with positive change what she perceives as the negative attitude of the world. Rascoe said that receiving the title of Miss Black Indiana US Ambassador is about more than the title, it is about making a difference.
“When we are kids, we always write, ‘I want to be a doctor, lawyer or teacher in the future’ in our composition book. As time goes by, our friends, family or people expect us to meet their expectations. At that moment, the more anticipation we bear on our shoulders, the easier [it is] for us to lose sight of who we are,” she said.
Rascoe said that her Christian faith has taught her to be a good servant to the community at all times and that actively taking part in all the volunteer groups broadens her view of society. She said that through spending time mentoring youth, she has become aware that they often do not even know what they want in life.
As Miss Black Indiana US Ambassador, Rascoe hopes to guide area youth to find their passion, follow their dreams, set goals and then see themselves as princes and princesses instead of people-pleasers. She said that her next step is to network with nonprofits in different cities, speak at engagements and be a representative for nonprofit organizations.
From this past July to next July, she will fulfill the obligations of Miss Black Indiana US Ambassador by making appearances, representing the pageant and scheduling the projects on her platform. In addition, as the representative of Indiana in 2013, she will soon leave for Atlanta, Ga., to compete with some 53 US ambassadors for other states for the title of Miss Black US Ambassador next July.
“My goal is to help the children and youth gain a sense of themselves, so that they may be able to follow dreams and goals without fear of what others may think,” she said. “Because they are our future.”
