Meredith achieves goal of becoming Ms. ASU

ALBANY — The year was 2003 and 8-year old Geniquiya Meredith was attending the annual Fountain City Football Classic in her hometown of Columbus as a member of Girls Inc. It was during that game she would see the royal court and be mesmerized, particularly by Miss Albany State University.

Miss ASU at the time was a native of Columbus, just like Meredith, and had actually attended the same high school as Meredith’s older sister, who also attended ASU. It was at that moment that young Meredith decided she too was going to be Miss ASU.

Thirteen years later, that decision would come to pass.

To an extent, Meredith is a product of her environment. Her older sister, her mother’s cousin and all of her cousins attended ASU. With that many Golden Rams around, she said there was no other choice for her but Albany State. When she decided to enter the pageant and thought about what her campaign would include, she focused on a part of her environment that she refused to let hold her back.

“I’m a product of my mother’s crack and cocaine addiction,” the new Miss ASU said. “I knew that that was something I wanted to incorporate into my platform. When it came to finding a name, I said I know I want to bring awareness to drugs and alcohol, but I wanted to my platform to be relatable to every single student at Albany State University.”

From there, the education major came up with “Get Addicted!,” a campaign dedicated to helping students focus and develop their crafts and passions rather than get into drugs and alcohol. Meredith said with all the talent and potential she sees on campus, she really wants to encourage students to use all of those positives to better themselves as well as their community.

Meredith had the pleasure of campaigning alongside her mother, Sandra Meredith, who is now a mentor. Sandra was able to share how she overcame her addictions and now has a rehabilitation center for other women dealing with those same issues. Geniquiya said she felt she was able to really reach her peers and encourage them to keep striving to reach their goals.

“I just wanted to show my student body it’s not about the situation that you’re given or the situation that you’re put in, it’s about how you react to it,” she said.

Vice President for Student Affairs and Success Danette Saylor said Meredith’s campaign is not only timely, but much needed in a college setting.

“We couldn’t have asked for a better young lady to represent the university,” she said. “She’s someone who’s very passionate about ASU. She’s also passionate about education. She’s already a true educator, the way she delivers information and her campaign, “Get Addicted!” is so very appropriate right now.

“It’s a climate that we’re in where drugs and alcohol are just sweeping many college campuses and it’s not a new phenomenon, but the type of drugs and alcohol that exist now is very different than maybe in past decades. I think it’s wonderful that she’s the person who is leading our institution in that way with such a wonderful platform.”

In addition to bettering her campus and community, both in Albany and Columbus, Meredith is looking forward to being a part of the National Association of Student Affairs Professionals. She described the association as “the heartbeat of HBCUs” and is very excited to meet and network with representatives from other HBCUs across the country.

Meredith will also work later this year to compete in Ebony magazine’s illustrious HBCU Campus Queens competition. She will submit a video entry and, if chosen, will campaign to be voted as one of the top 15 HBCU queens in the nation. Winners will be featured in the magazine’s annual HBCU Campus Queens photo shoot.