By Janiyah Gaston
Article and Photos Provided by the Daily Egyptian
Janiyah Gaston @janiyah_reports
Award winners hold up plaques and pose for a group photo at Essence Emmy Awards at SIU Student Center Ballroom D Dec 5, 2022 in Carbondale, Ill.
Essence Fashion Models held its first-ever Essence Emmy Awards on Dec. 5 in the Student Center Ballroom D. The president of Essence Fashion Models, Baron Faulkner, said the purpose of the Essence awards is to highlight the work students and organizations do on campus.
“It has definitely been a long long semester for all of us. A lot of people are sick, the weather changes and a lot of people can't come back sometimes. So we just wanted to take a moment and have everybody [together] and it's the end of the semester too, so it's a stressful time for everybody,” he said.
Faulkner said because Essence Fashion Models was on hiatus for two and a half years, being able to have this event and have people come out and support the group is amazing.
The purpose of Essence Fashion Models is to give students who are interested in fashion a chance to work with others with similar interests, he said.
“We incorporate dance, fashion, and community service into our entire repertoire of Essence Fashion Models and we'd like to spend a lot of time as a family,” he said. “We have our socials and stuff. It's kind of like a brief talk about [members’] problems and stuff. We brainstorm ideas, we service events and things to have on campus.”
Janiyah Gaston @janiyah_reports
Attendees wait for award ceremony to start at Essence Emmy Awards at SIU Student Center Ballroom D Dec 5, 2022 in Carbondale, Ill.
The categories for the night included Best Dressed Male, Favorite Sorority and Most involved Registered Student Organization (RSO).
To start off the event, an award for Innovators in Excellence was given out to Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. Although the members of the sorority were not present the crowd still cheered for them.
The hosts for the event, NaTrel Williams and Diamond Bluford, announced the first category which was Best Dressed Female, awarded to Lauryn Veasy, a fourth-year student.
Jashaun Murray won the next category: Best Male Smile. He gave a short speech thanking everyone who voted for him. Next up was Favorite Fraternity. There were four nominees for this category Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc., and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., with the latter taking home the prize.
Cameron Noel, a member of Essence, said he came to the awards for a variety of reasons, but the main reason was to show support for the group.
“I wanted to help celebrate the students and all the RSOs and their hard work and that's really exciting. I did a dance minor in undergrad. So I've been dancing for a while and this seemed like a great opportunity and I was excited,” he said.
There were two nominees for most involved Registered Student Organization (RSO): Black Affairs Council (BAC) and National Association of Colored Women's Club (NACWC). BAC was announced as the winner. Grace Gunn, the program coordinator, gave a short speech thanking students for their support and encouraging them to stop by the BAC office whenever they need anything.
Up next was Favorite Sorority, Best Make Up Artist, and Most Helpful Student. The winners were Sigma Gamma Pho Sorority Inc., Meliyah Redmond, and Grace Gunn, respectively.
Nkem Okeke, another member, said she joined Essence because the environment was welcoming and she likes modeling and dancing. She said if the group continues to have the award show it could possibly do it bigger and get more people involved.
In other awards, Favorite Dance Team went to Fatal Fusion Dance Group. Best Dressed Male went to Faulkner, Favorite Couple went to Kayla Vaugn and Mathis Wint. Best Female Smile went to Essence Fashion Model member Deborah Olusoga.
Janiyah Gaston @janiyah_reports
Essence Fashion Models accepts award for favorite modeling team at Essence Emmy Awards at SIU Student Center Ballroom D Dec 5, 2022 in Carbondale, Ill.
The final award of the night was Favorite Modeling Team, with nominees Essence Fashion Models and Vanity Fashion Fair Models. Although the vote was close, Essence Fashion Models won the award.
“Essence is really excited and that we're happy to celebrate all the students in their hard work, and we really just want to give back to the SIU community and make sure that everybody feels recognized,” Noel said.