Miss West Chester U. 2018 to help hometown through Cityteam
WEST CHESTER » Third-year student Jamie L. ThomasMcDowell of Chester was crowned Miss WCU 2018 on Feb. 3. It is the 20th year of the annual scholarship competition.
A communication studies major minoring in Spanish, she will focus her activities during her reigning year in support of Cityteam, a nonprofit that provides services and support to low-income, addicted, and homeless residents of her hometown.
“I chose Cityteam as my platform for two reasons,” Thomas-McDowell said. Besides the help the organization provides to her hometown at large, she also has a personal connection. “Cityteam offered a place of shelter for my father in his time of need. Because I hold my dad in such high esteem, the fact that Cityteam saw the potential in my father during a dark time reiterated to me just how special this place is.”
Thomas-McDowell sees the parallels between Cityteam and West Chester University’s Resource Pantry and hopes she can connect the two. “The platform I have chosen is crucial in a college setting because it creates awareness, networking, and volunteer opportunities,” she said.
As she plans promotions for her platform, ThomasMcDowell is including the growing addiction problem. “I want to do something that is eye-opening and influential to help students not use drugs, slow down on the drugs they use, or stop using them all together,” she said.
Thomas-McDowell is a resident assistant in Brandywine Hall, vice president of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Rho Alpha Chapter, a University Ambassador, a member of the Abbe Society and a participant in its community service projects, and a Black Alumni Chapter mentee and ambassador. She has attended three of the Multicultural Student Leadership Conferences, the third annual leadership conference, and the Transfer Admissions & Advising Committee (TAAC) Conference.
She is proud to be Parent Orientation Leader of the 2017–18 Leadership Team, calling herself “a resource walking” because of all the university information she’s excited to share. “I enjoyed working more closely with parents of incoming first years and I was able to see their perspective during orientation,” she said. “I also enjoyed the challenge of putting together the trainings for the new orientation leaders while also prepping for the eight days of orientation.”
Thomas-McDowell’s campus roles helped her prepare for the contest, specifically advice from Jared Brown, director of New Student Programs, “He gave me some very good advice about how to balance being professional and showing my personality,” she said. “He taught me that I am always interviewing and should present myself as if people are always watching. Always have a 30-second elevator speech.”