By Monica Sanders
Mariah Caise, a nursing freshman, and Bishlam Pea, a human health science senior, were crowned Mr. and Ms. Black UK 2015 on Sept. 30.
Mr. and Ms. Black UK is organized by the Black Student Union, a cultural organization for minority students on campus. The group plans events, holds discussions, and does community service.
The pageant started in the 1980s to celebrate the black community. Contestants practice for three to four weeks before the event, where they are judged by a panel of people from on and off campus including Clark Davis, a UK student who was crowned Miss Kentucky 2015.