PRINCESS ANNE – Mya Woods was named the 55^th Miss University of Maryland Eastern Shore last week.

The Cambridge-South Dorchester graduate (Class of 2017) has plans for her reign, which begins next semester, including properly representing the school as queen. Ms. Woods said Miss UMES “is supposed to be the first ambassador” of the school.

While she is representing the spirit of the university, she will also be working to bridge the gap between administration and the student body, Ms. Woods said, especially for non-traditional students.

One of the more enduring traditions at Historically Black Colleges and Universities is the annual selection of a campus queen, a statement from UMES said.

Like many similar institutions, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore has embraced this extracurricular activity with vigor dating back to the Great Depression.

Miss UMES and her Imperial Court “have played a significant role, in public, as student representatives,” an official handbook for the annual UMES pageant says. “Each young lady is expected to be a person of high moral conduct and a student with a great deal of school pride and spirit.”

That pride is evident in Ms. Woods’ academic success, as she currently has a grade point average of 3.2. “You have to have at least a 2.7 GPA,” to be queen, she said.

Ms. Woods said she wants to use her role to leave her mark on the university, a place which has a special place in her own family’s history. “My parents met here,” she said. “My sisters and I wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for UMES.”