THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 1, 1996 TAG: 9603010051
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E11 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KIA MORGAN ALLEN, CAMPUS CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines
A SIMPLE VISIT to the Coronado School may have changed Christi Bradford's career path.
The stories she heard at the school for pregnant teens moved her so much, she may start a similar school of her own.
Those emotions and a sense of knowing herself helped Bradford win the crown of Miss Collegiate African-American during the national pageant last June in Orlando, Fla.
As part of a tour of black colleges, Bradford, a recent graduate of Fayetteville State University in North Carolina, visited Norfolk State University and toured Hampton Roads last week.
``My message to students everywhere is for them to stay on the path of the straight and narrow, both in education and in life, promising them that hard work will be rewarded,'' the 22-year-old said.
Although every stop on the tour was routine - visiting mayors, speaking on radio shows - Bradford never made the job routine. She kept her speeches fresh and new.
``At different schools, there are different needs to be met,'' she said. ``I shot straight from the hip.''
Bradford is spiritual. Her speech is chock-full of Christian dialogue. She knows she would not have made it this far without Christ in her life.
That's why she chose the African name ``Uwimanah,'' meaning child of God, during a rites-of-passage ceremony at the pageant, in which all contestants picked African names.
During her visit, she was wearing a pink African pants suit, with gold stripes. She plans to continue to wear these clothes to reflect her African heritage when she gets into the business world.
``I don't have to have a Eurocentric outlook on life in order to be successful in life,'' she said.
Bradford graduated from Fayetteville State last December with a bachelor's degree in English. She received an academic scholarship and was listed in Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities and on the National Dean's List.
The statuesque dark-skinned woman is modest about her achievements, but she's an intellectual, strong in character and proudly self-reliant.
At 22, she decided to move out of her mother's home in Fayetteville so that she would not have to depend on her.
Bradford is thinking about becoming a gospel singer. ``I want to employ myself, fund my own music career,'' she said over breakfast.
But she also has other options in mind - maybe attending law school in May of 1997 or starting the school for pregnant teenagers.
At Coronado, she left an indelible impression. ``I though she was very honest and motivating,'' said Vandelyn S. Whitehurst, principal of the school. ``Some of the girls came back and told me they have a different outlook, and that's what they need.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Kia Morgan Allen is a junior at Norfolk State
JUANITA M. COLE
Christi Bradford, Miss Collegiate African-American.
by CNB