In August ’08, Whitney Gaskins, Eng ’08, was named Miss Black Ohio of 2009. She competed for the title of Miss Black USA 2009 at the national pageant in Las Vegas in June 2009.

Whitney, who tied for the first place talent award, received a $1,000 scholarship from United Negro College Fund, which will come in handy as she pursued a master’s degree in quantitative analysis at the UC College of Business. Her goal was to help first-time business owners make informed decisions and manage their investments effectively.

As a student, she demonstrated a passion for helping others through numerous service projects, tutoring and student leadership roles. A few examples of her UC-related efforts follow:

• Through the National Society of Black Engineers, she organized an Academic Technical Bowl to help members gain professional licensure and showcase their knowledge.
• She organized a Technical Research Symposium to encourage undergraduate African Americans and other underrepresented students to participate in research projects that relate to graduate degrees in technical fields.
• In July ‘089, she chaired the Summer Camping Conference designed to stimulate the interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields among students in grades 6–12.
• At the time of the pagaent, she was the UC Alumni Association’s Great Lakes Regional Alumni board member.

Links
Read why Whitney is “proudly Cincinnati.”
Other pageant winners from UC.