Cierra Kaler-Jones
| Cierra Kaler-Jones | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
Cierra Kaler-Jones May 29, 1993 |
| Residence | Galloway Township, New Jersey |
| Education | Rutgers University |
| Title |
Miss New Jersey 2014 Miss Atlantic County Miss Northern Lakes, Miss Cape Shores Miss Coastal Shore |
| Predecessor | Cara McCollum (Miss New Jersey) |
| Successor | Lindsey Giannini (Miss New Jersey) |
Cierra Kaler-Jones (born May 29, 1993) is an American beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss New Jersey 2014.[1] She is the second African American to win the title of Miss New Jersey after Suzette Charles in 1983. Her "heritage also includes Native American, Irish, Filipino and German ancestry.""[2] [3]
Background
Kaler-Jones is from Galloway Township, New Jersey[3] and attended Absegami High School.[4] Kaler-Jones is a graduate of Rutgers University where she majored in Social Work with concentrations in Women's & Gender Studies, and Critical & Comparative Race & Ethnic Studies.[5] She attended Rutgers as a first generation college student.[1][3][4] In addition, she spent her first three years at Rutgers on the nationally ranked Rutgers University Dance Team and worked esearch assistant in the Rutgers School of Social Work and has interned with the ACLU of New Jersey and the criminal justice division of the state attorney general's office.[3]
She is currently a graduate student in Education and Human Development.[5]
Pageants
Kaler-Jones is a former Miss Atlantic County, Miss Northern Lakes, Miss Cape Shores, and Miss Coastal Shore.[3] In response to questions about the relevance of the Miss America pageant, she has stated: "What's more relevant than a powerful woman?"[3] She was named Miss New Jersey 2014 on June 14 with the platform: "Empowering Today’s Youth Through Arts Education."[4] Her talent was a self-choreographed contemporary dance to Beyoncé's "Listen" [4] (she is a member of Rutgers Dance Team).[3] Kaler-Jones competed in part because some people told her that she "couldn't be Miss New Jersey because I didn't look a certain way or didn't fit a certain mold" and she wondered why not.[2]
Video interviews
References
- 1 2 "Rutgers Student Crowned Miss New Jersey". University Herald. June 6, 2014. Retrieved 2014-07-17.
- 1 2 "New Miss New Jersey has arts and law interests". philly.com. June 17, 2014. Retrieved 2014-06-17.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Miss America 2015: Miss New Jersey's heart belongs to Atlantic City, Rutgers". nj.com. June 17, 2014. Retrieved 2014-07-17.
- 1 2 3 4 "Local Girl Cierra Kaler-Jones is Crowned Miss New Jersey 2014 in Ocean City". AC Weekley. July 17, 2014. Retrieved 2014-07-17.
- 1 2 Official website.
External links
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Cara McCollum |
Miss New Jersey 2014 |
Succeeded by Lindsey Giannini |