The University of Louisiana at Lafayette is introducing a new male pageant to campus. Mister UL Lafayette, an event inspired by the University’s Miss UL pageant, will give male students an opportunity to represent the University and become involved in campus life. Mister UL is designed to build on the tradition of Miss UL, while creating a new opportunity for students to showcase their personalities, talents and commitment to the University.
The competition will give participants a chance to demonstrate what makes them stand out while representing the Ragin’ Cajun community.
Zaelyn Thompson, a member of the University Traditions Board, originally proposed the idea to create more opportunities for male students to become involved on campus. Although similar competitions have been attempted in previous years, Thompson said the idea was refined to create a university-wide event.
“What really inspired it was just trying to get men in general to get more involved,” Thompson said. “Within the position that I am in on the Traditions Board, I want to create that opportunity for them.”
The Mister UL pageant will feature several categories, including formal wear, career wear and casual wear. During the career wear portion, contestants will dress to represent their dream professions.
Preceding the onstage portion of the pageant, participants will complete interviews and submit personal statements.
An onstage interview segment will also allow contestants to demonstrate their public speaking skills.
Thompson said the pageant is designed to provide students with experience they can apply beyond the University, particularly in professional settings and future careers.
The student selected as Mister UL will represent the University at university-sponsored and community events.
The titleholder will also help encourage future students to participate by sharing his experience and offering guidance to future contestants.
The position also provides an opportunity to encourage student involvement and strengthen connections across campus.
By creating a competition specifically for male students, the University can expand its existing traditions while giving students another way to participate in campus activities.
The introduction of Mister UL comes as the University continues to offer students opportunities to get involved beyond the classroom.
Competitions such as Miss UL can bring students together, recognize student involvement and celebrate the personalities and achievements of members of the campus community.
To be eligible, contestants must be in good standing with the University and the student code of conduct, have a minimum 2.5 GPA, meet the competition’s gender eligibility requirement and be Louisiana residents, or have lived in the state for at least 30 days.
Thompson said leadership, character, integrity, professionalism, uniqueness and school spirit are among the qualities he hopes to see in the winner.
As the competition begins, Thompson said he is most excited to see how the event affects the University and its participants.
“I want people to learn from it, improve on it and, hopefully, the men that participated in the competition, I want them to learn something from it as well,” Thompson said.
As a new addition to campus, Mister UL will have the opportunity to establish his own identity while following the example set by Miss UL. The competition’s success will depend on student participation, campus support and the ability to create a meaningful experience for those involved.