RAYMOND – Derykah Watts, of Jackson, was named Miss вÊÍø in the annual pageant Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018.
From left, вÊÍø President Dr. Clyde Muse, second runner-up Alexis Spiller, Miss вÊÍø 2019 Derykah Watts, first runner-up Courtney Buffington, pageant coordinator Angela Hite (вÊÍø/April Garon)
As Miss вÊÍø, Watts will participate next summer in the Miss Mississippi pageant in Vicksburg. The pageant is an official preliminary pageant of the Miss America Pageant program.
Watts, 20, is a sophomore studying biology at the Raymond Campus. She is a Mount Salus Christian School graduate. Her talent was dance and her platform was breast cancer awareness.
First runner-up was Courtney Buffington, 19, of Brandon. She is a sophomore studying nursing at the Raymond Campus. She is a Pisgah High School graduate. Her talent was voice and her platform was infection control in educational settings.
Second runner-up was Alexis Spiller, 19, of Vicksburg. She is a sophomore studying accounting on the Raymond Campus. She is a Warren Central High School graduate. Her talent was dance and her platform was Embrace Your Self-Worth.