High school girls compete for scholarships in debutante cotillion
The Nu Sigma chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. hosts 66th annual Debutante Scholarship Cotillion.
High school girls compete for scholarships in debutante cotillion The Nu Sigma chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. hosts 66th annual Debutante Scholarship Cotillion. Check out this story on jacksonsun.com: https://www.jacksonsun.com/story/news/local/2018/04/24/high-school-girls-compete-scholarships-debutante-cotillion/540376002/
Brittney L. Jackson, USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee Published 9:15 a.m. CT April 24, 2018 | Updated 9:41 a.m. CT April 25, 2018
Madison Academic Magnet High School senior Eren Brooks wins Miss Debutante 2018.
Nu Sigma chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.'s 66th annual Debutante Scholarship Cotillion winner Eren Brooks and her escort Evan Holt take a victory stroll on stage at the Carl Perkins Civic Center in Jackson, Tennessee.(Photo: GAIL BAILEY/The Jackson Sun)Buy Photo
Historically, Debutante Cotillions were used by the elite to present their children to society, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. Nu Sigma Chapter Secretary Deborah Montague said.
When the late chapter member Cleo Brooks Boyd heard of a debutante cotillion in New York from her sister, she brought the idea to Nu Sigma and it was accepted as the Debutante Scholarship Cotillion in 1952.
"Children's education is important to us," Montague said. "Sigma Gamma Rho was started by seven teachers."
Every debutante receives about $1,000 in scholarships, with the winner receiving 40 percent of the money raised through ticket sales and sold advertisements. The scholarship amount is usually between $30,000 and $35,000 and can be used at any school.
Miss Debutante 2017 Ayanna Campbell crowns Miss Debutante 2018 Eren Brooks at the 66th annual Debutante Scholarship Cotillion hosted by the Nu Sigma chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. on April 21, 2018. (Photo: GAIL BAILEY/The Jackson Sun)
"A majority of our girls of color are coming from a family that's in poverty or low middle class," Montague said. "This money helps push them over. It gives them a guarantee that there is a financial foundation that's going to assist you."
Charm clinics
In January, the debutantes started their "charm clinics" where they learned table etiquette, how to manage their finances and about health and wellness. The cotillion was a culmination of all they had learned.
Once they graduate high school they will be in the "real world," Montague said, so they need to know basic skills, like budgeting, to prepare them for the future.
Debutante Scholarship Cotillion 2018
The 66th annual Debutante Cotillion hosted by the Nu Sigma chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. presented elementary, middle and high school girls to society at the Carl Perkins Civic Center on April 21, 2018. GAIL BAILEY/The Jackson Sun
Nu Sigma chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.'s 66th annual Debutante Scholarship Cotillion winner Eren Brooks and her escort Evan Holt present themselves on stage at the Carl Perkins Civic Center in Jackson, Tennessee. GAIL BAILEY/The Jackson Sun
For Eren Brooks the clinics were "rigorous" but they paid off as she was named the 2018 Debutante Scholarship Cotillion winner at the Carl Perkins Civic Center Friday night.
"I felt really excited and happy because this is another chapter closed in my life and I was just really appreciative of everything," Brooks said.
The Madison Academic Magnet High School senior plans to use her scholarship money at Fisk University in Nashville to major in music performance with a specialty in voice.
In the 66 years the Debutante Scholarship Cotillion has been in existence, Nu Sigma has presented scholarships to over 200 young ladies.
Nu Sigma chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.'s 66th annual Debutante Scholarship Cotillion winner Eren Brooks and her escort Evan Holt take a victory stroll on stage at the Carl Perkins Civic Center in Jackson, Tennessee. (Photo: GAIL BAILEY/The Jackson Sun)
Reach reporter Brittney Jackson at bljackson@gannett.com or 731-425-9643.
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