by Christine Mersch

Millions of viewers worldwide watched as College of Business senior Aisha Berry represented the state of Ohio in the 2005 Miss USA pageant.

At the time, the 25-year-old Cincinnati native was a business management student and a runway, print, in-store and cover model. Berry said her proudest accomplishment, outside of her Miss Ohio title, was being named to the national dean's list.

During her reign, Berry said she most relished the opportunities she had to work with young people. "I did a lot of mentoring and tutoring at various schools throughout Ohio," Berry said. "Even times when I had appearances that may not have directly related to kids, I was always able to meet children and impact them in some way. So that part was really, really great."

Berry attended Western Hills High School and graduated with a degree in business management in 2005. Planning to use her degree to pursue a career as an international fashion model, she appeared on a cover of "C" magazine and had signed with modeling agency Newuvio before graduation.

During her time as Miss Ohio, she worked and attended classes at UC, taking one quarter off to compete in the 54th Miss USA pageant in April.

"I've always been interested in the Miss USA pageant. One day I got a postcard about the Miss Ohio contest. I decided to try it, and I finally won the title and was able to compete in the Miss USA pageant. It shows that if you're very persistent, you can achieve your dreams."

Berry competed in the Miss Ohio contest five times, winning second place in '01 and fourth in '04.