A Tennessee Woman Was Crowned Mrs. Universe & She Has More Career Titles Than Crowns
Her resume is so unique. 👑
Juanita Ingram at the ceremony. Right: Juanita Ingram at the park.
The World International Pageant show was in Miami Beach, FL on August 21-25, and a Tennessee HBCU graduate took the title of Mrs. Universe. The winner, Juanita Ingram, represented Singapore and her worldwide background comes with a multi-faceted resume.
According to Ingram's Facebook page, she was the first African American woman named Mrs. Indiana in 2007. She also won Mrs. UK World 2011, Mrs. UK Universe 2013 and Mrs. Singapore Universe 2022.
Her Twitter reveals she was now the first black woman crowned Mrs. Universe 2022-2023.
\u201cIt is an honor to be the first black woman crowned Mrs. Universe!!! This is going to be an amazing year!\u201d— Juanita Ingram, Esq. she/her (@Juanita Ingram, Esq. she/her) 1661741919
She's worn many crowns on stage, but far more hats in her career. Ingram told Narcity that as a married woman, it's natural to fill many roles and it's a blessing to highlight that you can be a pageant queen and all-around rockstar.
"It's something that is to be celebrated, and that you never have to shrink, and I just consider it an honor and a privilege to be able to showcase that," she told Narcity.
It all began after she received her bachelor's at TSU in Accounting and her law degree from the University of Memphis.
According to the pageant queen's website, she went from student to practicing attorney in the state of Tennessee and Indiana, she has over 19 years of experience. She received the Attorney For Justice Award, organized by the Tennessee Supreme Court, in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
Her legal work has led her to become the founder of Dress For Success Greater London and Chattanooga, a global organization helping disadvantaged women with their own careers to become financially independent.
Ingram also wrote children's books and adult self-help books starting in 2019. Her latest novel, Heavy is the Head, will be released this year.
You can add actress, filmmaker and CEO of Purpose Productions, Inc. to the list. She's won awards for her entertainment career all over the world.
The star moved to Asia, where she most notably became the star of the first black reality TV show, The Expats International Ingrams, in Taiwan.
She currently lives in Singapore with her family and is booking appearances and interviews from October - March 2023 in the US, London, UAE, and Asia.