Pringle formally crowned

The elegance of African royalty, dance and music captured the eyes, ears and hearts of the local community in celebration of Barbara Pringle's formal crowning at the Alabama State University Acadome on Oct. 9.

Pringle along with her court, First Attendant Brittany Woodard and Second Attendant Deshawn Sutton led 42 university queens under the theme "Golden Legacy: Rekindling the Fire for Our Generation."

The chosen theme was a reflection of "the tribute to our past forefathers, a charge for the present generation and hope for our future."

"When thoughts were running through my mind about coronation, I just remember thinking this is our chance," Pringle said. "I wanted students to know that they have the power, so that's when I came up with carrying the torch as the theme for the evening."

She continued.

"I didn't want my coronation to be like everyone else's," she said. "I wanted it to be something that people will never forget, but at the same time, change their attitudes. So I pulled different aspects of what I thought would have that effect. I just wanted everyone in attendance to have an experience, and I think they did."

Pringle believes preparing for the coronation would not have been as stressful if she had received the necessary assistance from her advisory team.

"None of them helped me," Pringle said. "I had to depend on my friends, family and church members in order to get things done. How can you walk in the day before the coronation, and not ask if anything needs to be done? I needed advisers who are willing to take ownership, like a Norbert Sullivan."

She continued.

"My emotional state was ridiculous," Pringle said. "I was still going over the show 30 minutes before the show began. I was on pins and needles the entire time, that shouldn't be, I wasn't able to enjoy my night."

The acceptance speech Pringle delivered received a standing ovation from the audience.

"I actually forgot my entire speech right before I went onstage," she said. "That's how emotionally distraught I was; I just forgot everything. I had to freestyle everything and speak from my heart. The speech I gave that night was not the speech I planned to give. I wrote one two weeks ago that basically thanked my advisers for being there for me. But I couldn't do it, I wasn't going to lie. So everything I said was from my heart, that's what I felt at that moment in time and that's how I still feel."

Pringle opened her speech with "You are looking at a queen who serves the king," and ended with "To all my haters, I thank you personally."

Pringle believes it was only God's will that she was able to make it through coronation without breaking down. On the other hand, students believe this was the best coronation thus far.

"I am not angry or mad with anyone, but I needed a lot of help with this kind of production and I did not receive the kind of help that I should have received."

Students, however, were pleased with the production.

"She really out did herself with this one," said English education major Courtney Wilson. "Barbara has taken her title and actually put it to use for her. I have never seen someone with so much grace and power all at the same time."

She continued.

"I thought it was excellent when she thanked her haters," she said. "But she has to know that there are more people for her, than there are against her. And as long as she has God, she doesn't need anybody else. You have to know that you know the man upstairs, because he is the only one who is able to keep you from falling."

Junior business major Crystal Atkins believes Pringle has a natural talent for telling it like it is.

"She is so real," Atkins said. "It amazes me that even in her speech, in front of all those people, she was still able to speak as if she was having a personal conversation with the crowd. Not everyone can do that. 'Grace' should be her middle name."

"She was able to incorporate the afrocentric person that she is with the performance that was done. Miss ASU has a style that no one else can impersonate, and forget duplicate. She knows who she is and she is not afraid to show it, and I am loving every moment of it."