iamond Brackett . MonaLesa Diamond Brackett . MonaLesa Diamond Brackett .
counselor at Boys and Girls High School in Bedford-Stuyvesant surreptitiously gave Brackett’s classmate an envelope filled with a Miss New York Teen USA application to deliver to her. To this day, she doesn’t know who sent her the gentle nudge, but she is thankful for that life-changing handoff. From there, she became a self-proclaimed “pageant girl.” Brackett and her cosmetologist mother, her namesake, went on to raise money for pageant application fees and pageant wardrobes. In 2012, Brackett competed in Miss Maryland USA 2011, Miss DC USA 2012 and placed fourth runner up in Miss DC USA 2013 . She took a hiatus when her mother died from colon cancer. She also learned about genetic cancers that required her to be more mindful of her own health and wellness. A year after the competing age cap of 28 was lifted, Brackett competed in Miss New York USA 2025, placing in the top five with a second runner up title, making history as the first hijabi to place in
the Top 5 at a Miss USA state pageant. She then participated in an open call for Miss New Hampshire USA and earned the crown which afforded her the opportunity to compete in the Miss USA 2025 – her 14th pageant since childhood.
to an HBCU because she needed to be loved by the Blackness outside of the Brooklyn community. Because she was around other Black strong women and men, that really pushed her over the edge to help her cultivate more of her individualism and confidence in who she is a Black woman.” Once she chose Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland, Brackett breezed through her communication studies and even competed in the Miss Morgan State pageant and completed her coursework in December 2010, a half semester early. She walked the stage to graduate in May 2011. She later earned her Master of Fine Arts in writing and producing for television from Long Island University in New York.
SELF CONFIDENCE ONLY AN HBCU CAN INSTILL
While Brackett’s confidence, cadence and pride was instilled by her mother and father Marion T. Brackett, she says her HBCU roots made a huge impact on her young adult years. She knew she was destined for HBCU life and said there was no other option. “That’s all she talked about, going to an HBCU and all the things she wanted to do,” said Brackett’s former high school teacher Alison Best-Adams, who is now a middle school assistant principal in Brooklyn. “She knew she wanted to pledge AKA and she just made a plan and made it happen. She needed to go
“I came there with the idea that I was going to graduate in three
years,” said Brackett who majored in telecommunications and TV production. “I was on track to do that, but when I
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