“It was like a month away and I thought, ‘No, I’ll just wait until next year’,” she said.

Convinced to compete, Langford started the process of preparing. About one week from the pageant, she received a phone call from retired dean of students, Dr. Judy Rashid that helped prepare her for what she considered the most nerve-wracking part of the pageant – the question and answer session.

“On a car ride, she just kept asking me questions. When it was time to go on stage for the question, I prayed to the Lord for Him to give me a question I could answer eloquently,” Langford said.

With one month’s notice and being nearly 15 years removed from high school, Langford was crowned Ms. Black North Carolina USA.

“I was shocked I won. So many of the other contestants had so much experience,” she said.

Her platform is “B.Aware: Bringing Awareness to Invisible Illnesses.” Langford’s goal is to bring awareness to invisible illnesses like depression, fibromyalgia and lupus. While she does not personally live with those illnesses, she does have a god sister, Keva B. Napper, who is currently living with the lupus.

While she is thankful for her crown, Langford says she planned to continue her work toward raising awareness about invisible diseases whether or not she won.

“With or without a crown, I’m a servant at heart. I will always serve others,” she said.

Langford was extended an invitation to compete in the Ms. America pageant but declined to compete saying she wants to learn all she can and fulfill the duties and responsibilities of her current title.

Currently an administrative support specialist in the Office of the Dean of Students at North Carolina A&T State University, Langford earned her bachelor of fine arts in professional theater. She still performs and will play and understudy a number of roles for the Theatre Arts Program’s December production, “The First Noel,” written by fellow alumnus, Lelund Thompson.

“I’m being stretched to do a lot of different things for this play. I look at it as giving back to the university and I love giving back,” she shared.

Langford is one of three Aggies who currently holds a state pageant title. Journalism and Mass Communication student Courtney Turner is Mr. Black North Carolina 2015 and Madison Gibbs ’15 is the reigning Miss Black USA, who was crowned Miss Black North Carolina in December.

Pageant photo courtesy of Ronald Parker/Tamaro Johnson of Artije Photography