Submitted by Shavon Williams
Girls; Live, Love, Laugh, Inc. hosted its third annual Spring Princess Ball on Saturday, April 28, 2018, at The Clubhouse in Newark, New Jersey.
Miss Black New Jersey, Tarah-Lynn Saint Elien, 23, of Rahway, NJ, and last year’s Princess Zoey Smith, 5, of Newark, NJ crowned Mikayla Hightower, 6, East Orange, NJ, 2018 Spring Ball Princess. Lillian Brittain, 7, of Plainfield, NJ was the first runner up and Ajee Monzon, 5, of Newark, NJ was the second runner up. They were judged on confidence and smiles and were selected from 80 contestants.
“Our vision is to make a difference in our girls’ lives,” said Allison James-Frison, founder for Girls; Live, Love, Laugh, Inc., a non-profit girls mentoring program in Newark.
“Instilling girls with the confidence that regardless of race, status, or their environment, they too can be princesses is one way we’re making a difference,” said James-Frison.
Saint Elien was featured as a guest judge at this year’s Spring Princess Ball. “I truly believe in training our girls to believe that they are more than what the world tells them; their worth is immeasurable and they are seen as precious treasures by God. With my title as Miss Black New Jersey 2018, it was important for them to see a young woman of color with a crown so they are reminded of their own,” said Saint Elien. The Haitian-American beauty graduated Summa Cum Laude from Rider University with a 3.9 GPA. She is currently pursuing her Master’s in Advertising at Syracuse University. Other judges include Girls; Live, Love, Laugh, Inc. Legal Aid Advisor and CEO of Groundwork Agency Tish Johnson, of Newark, and lead singer of T.J. & Company Band, Jaleesa Koonce, of Linden, NJ.
Kamouri Terrell, 18, of Newark, an alumna of Girls; Live, Love, Laugh, Inc., was recognized for her outstanding achievements and her commitment to academic success. “Girls; Live, Love, Laugh, Inc. had a positive impact on my life. It introduced me to things young girls living in the inner city usually don’t experience at a young age. I will always take the etiquette I learned with me everywhere I go,” said Terrell. Terrell is a senior at Newark Collegiate Academy where she belongs to the National Honor Society and is a member of the varsity girls’ basketball team. Terrell has been accepted to seven universities, which include Spelman College, Clark Atlanta University, Lycoming University, Tuskegee University, Rider University, Dillard University, and William Patterson University. In the fall, she will be attending Lycoming University in Williamsport, Pa., which awarded her the Dean Scholarship for $22K and an academic scholarship of $20K equating to a full ride to the university. Terrell plans to study biology and forensic science with a goal of becoming a forensic scientist.
(above, l-r) First runner up Lillian Brittain, 7, Plainfield; Miss Black New Jersey, Tarah-Lynn Saint Elien, 23, Rahway; last year’s princess, Zoey Smith, 5, Newark; 2018 Spring Ball Princess, Mikayla Hightowner, 6, East Orange, N.J.; and second winner up Ajee Monzon, 7, Newark.
