Finding a Way or Making One: THE JOURNEY OF KENNEDY WHISENANT, MISS ALABAMA USA
BY ERICKA BLOUNT
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Given full creative freedom by her mother, Cindy Whisenant, Kennedy learned early how style could shape identity. Whisenant knew fashion was more than clothing, it was expression, confidence, and power. From the moment she was a little girl browsing racks at Macy’s every Saturday, Kennedy
“My mom always let me choose what I wanted to wear,” Kennedy recalls. “She gave me full creative control, and that carried over into pageants. I still style myself today because it’s something I really love.” That love for fashion would eventually lead her to the national stage as Miss Alabama USA, but her journey has been anything but conventional. It is a story shaped by faith, family, HBCU pride, perseverance, and a relentless commitment to finding a way, or making one. FROM PASSION TO PURPOSE Kennedy’s passion for fashion led her to Clark Atlanta University (CAU), where she initially pursued apparel construction. But after designing her first piece, reality set in. “It sucked,” she laughs. “That’s when I realized fashion design probably wasn’t for me. Sewing wasn’t my thing. That’s why I have a boutique and not my own clothing brand.”
She soon transferred to fashion merchandising, focusing on the business side of the industry. At the same time, she was deepening her involvement in pageantry, a path she had been on since age 15. Clark’s motto, “Find a Way or Make a Way,” became more than a slogan. It became a philosophy guiding every step of her life. AN HBCU THAT MADE A WAY Kennedy credits Clark Atlanta University with shaping her confidence and resilience. “I remember visiting campus and just feeling like I belonged,” she says. “It felt like community. Once I stepped on an HBCU campus, I knew that’s where I wanted to be.” Even after being accepted to more than 36 colleges, Kennedy hesitated, briefly telling her mother she didn’t think she wanted to go to college at all. Instead, she wanted to open a boutique. Her
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