Attorney and Regional Manager crowned 2011 Maryland International Queens

Feb. 21, 2011 - PRLog -- Attorney and Regional Manager crowned 2011 Maryland International Queens

LAUREL, MD – Saturday, February 19, 2011, in front of family, friends and supporters, the newest Mrs. Maryland International and Miss Maryland International were crowned.  The new 2011 queens, Sandra Bryan-Grier and Ciji Dodds, Esq. ,respectively, will go on to compete in the Mrs. and Miss International pageants to be held this July in Chicago, Illinois.

Miss Maryland International – Ciji Dodds, Esq., Silver Spring, Ciji has a BS in Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and earned her juris doctor (J.D.) from Howard University School of Law.  She is active volunteer and community advocate with a passion for literacy education.  As Miss Maryland International, Ciji will channel that passion into her platform, Just Read. Just Read promotes the importance of childhood literacy through advocacy, education and civic engagement.  Working with First Book, Ciji will dedicate her year of service to providing educational resources to all children and ensuring that every child has the chance to own their First Book.

Mrs. Maryland International – Sandra Bryan-Grier, Upper Marlboro, Sandra is the founder of The D.A.R.E. to Dream Organization.  As Mrs. Maryland International 2011, Sandra will travel the state promoting and participating in mentoring activities for our youth.  As an official Ambassador for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the National Capital Area (BBBSNCA), she will work to recruit mentors who will change the odds for high-risk children in our state.  Sandra and her husband, Kenny, have one daughter who is a sophomore at the University of Georgia.

The crowning ceremony also included farewell presentations and acknowledgements from outgoing titleholders Mrs. Maryland International 2010 Angel McCoy and Miss Maryland International 2010 Heather Young.  After the ceremony, Executive Director DeShawn Shepard, commented that she was excited to have two new titleholders with a passion for community service that will represent Maryland.  To schedule Mrs. Maryland International or Miss Maryland International for an appearance, contact DeShawn Shepard at mrsmarylandinternational@gmail.com.  

   The Mrs. and Miss International Pageants are the official preliminaries to the Mrs. and Miss    International pageants.  The International Pageant system is the only system to require each competitor to have a community service platform.  Eligible ladies must live, work, or attend school in the state and be between the ages of 19 – 29 for the Miss category and 21-56 for the Mrs. category.  Visit the website, http://www.mrsmdinternational.webs.com/, for additional information.

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