By Dianne Anderson

Of all the pageants in all the parades in all the cities, Cathy Steele Woodard looked around recently and realized something big was missing from their Orange County Black History Parade.

It was attracting beautiful women from everywhere else into the fold, from all the other pageants, including beautiful Hispanic girls. At one point, they even had Miss Anaheim and some of their beautiful girls, but nothing for Black girls.

The irony was hard to ignore.

“I said we’ve got to have our own thing. We have everybody’s girls and our young ladies are not being represented,” said Steele Woodard, a lead organizer with the Orange County Heritage Council and a member of NCNW Orange County. “We don’t have anyone. One time we had one Black girl in there, but that’s been some years ago.”

She said it is high time for a full on pageant for the girls.

Soon to launch under Stephanie Stancil, pageant coordinator for the Miss Black OC Heritage, the young ladies will have all the bells and whistles of local recognition, but maybe more importantly, to build up a sense of self pride as productive community volunteers.

Steele Woodard said they are calling young Black girls and scholars to make history, earn college funds, and learn what real success means. Not to mention that community service always looks great on a resume or college application.

But it’s not all about beauty hacks and fashion fads. They will be teaching the girls how to navigate life like the pros in the program, leaning toward the mentoring model of confidence building and leadership skills.

“We’ll be doing all those types of things that they’re going to need as Black women in this world,” Steele Woodard said. “There’s going to be some obligation and commitment from these young ladies, that they have to give time [to] community service projects.”

So far, the project has engaged three ambassadors to draw more Black girls into the mix, starting at age 11 to participate, to young women 28 years old. They also expect to offer high school and college age scholarships, with classes held each month.

A big part of the focus is serving the community because that is what the Heritage Council is all about.

The history behind the pageant idea goes back to when Helen M. Shipp founded the Orange County Black History Parade in Santa Ana in 1980. Back then, she said Darcel Shipp-Davidson, Shipp’s daughter, was the first Miss Black Orange County.

Steele Woodard said they want to jumpstart it again and make it sustainable.

“I think once we get it going the Black community will get excited about it. Organizations will want to donate and help make this thing work,” she said. “I can’t believe we don’t have this in OC right now for our young ladies.”

In other events around OC, higher education is at the top of everyone’s thinking, or it should be, as students rush to get their applications or scholarships, like yesterday.

The money train is leaving soon.

Campus officials everywhere are warning latecomers not to miss out on funding.

For a safety net at CSU Fullerton, in person and virtual drop in sessions will make sure every Titan can meet the March 2 state priority cutoff.

Jessica Barco at Cal State Fullerton said that their Super Sunday event is the cornerstone event that reflects the deep partnership between the CSU system and Black faith communities, helping students get in on time.

“By meeting families where they are, in spaces of faith and belonging, we inspire students to see higher education as a reachable goal,” said Jessica Barco, Interim Associate Vice President for Strategic Enrollment Management.

She emphasized the last call to meet the March 2 FAFSA/CADAA deadline is a critical opportunity for students to secure the financial support they need to succeed in college. For over 20 years, the tradition has empowered Black students and their families with tools, guidance, and encouragement to pursue college, and knowing that they have a place at institutions like Cal State Fullerton.

The campus will continue helping students who may have missed financial aid applications last week.

Completing the FAFSA or CADAA by the March 2 deadline safeguards access to grants, scholarships, and other aid that could dramatically reduce or even eliminate the cost of tuition, but she stressed that missing that deadline can affect financial aid eligibility for California state grants.

“This funding is not just about affordability, it’s about opening doors to opportunities that can transform lives and create pathways to success for Black students and their communities,” she said.

For students who missed weekend workshops, the university’s safety net remains active with The Titan Hub, Langsdorf Hall 114, open for daily walk ins and last minute troubleshooting until 5:00 p.m., with phone support typically running until 6:00 p.m. during deadline week.

If students haven’t completed financial aid applications for 2026-27, she said now is the time to act. University staff will be providing last call assistance, pushing up until the deadline.

While the system is running up until late night March 2, they say don’t wait for a technical glitch or crash at 11:59 p.m. Get it done now.

“Completing your FAFSA or CADAA is the key to unlocking resources that can make college not just a dream, but a reality. You won’t know how much financial support you qualify for until you apply, and that aid could be the deciding factor in choosing the college that’s right for you. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by,” she said.

For more information and to apply now, see:

For FAFSA at https://www.studentaid.gov

For CADAA: https://www.dream.csac.ca.gov

For CSUF Titan Hub (Langsdorf Hall 114), see https://www.fullerton.edu/titan-hub/