Alpha Kappa Alpha hosted the Mr. Ivy Scholarship Pageant, a Princess and the Frog-themed event, where contestants competed for the title of Mr. Ivy and a scholarship award.
Held at the University of Kentucky’s Singletary Center for the Arts on Thursday, March 6, contestants competed in talent, interview and waltz portions. The contestants also talked about their platforms centering around topics important to them.
During the talent portion of the pageant, Mr. Ivy contender and marketing sophomore Leonardo Johnson, danced while uncovering canvases of paintings he had made while at home in the Bahamas.
“I’ve been painting since I was about 10 years old,” Johnson said. “It just feels amazing to bring that sense of culture and my talent to show everybody.”
With a platform centering around uplifting the youth and cultural awareness, Johnson said he aimed to foster a deeper understanding of diverse cultures and help young people realize the level of success they can strive for.
“Coming from a community where the youth are often made to believe that their opportunities are limited, I work to break that barrier and show them that they, too, can achieve anything they put their minds to through education and advocacy,” Johnson said.
Mr. Ivy contender and sports marketing senior Ben Hall also had a platform involving helping the youth, saying he wanted to help provide mentorship, service and leadership training to those who need it.
Hall said he had contributed over 1,200 community service hours to a nonprofit for children in his hometown of Atlanta and said “True leadership is not just about guiding others, but also serving a purpose.”
For Hall’s talent, he performed a stand-up comedy routine about his dating experiences, telling a story of when his date didn’t have any furniture in her home.
Marketing sophomore and final Mr. Ivy contender Russell Van Liew IV performed spoken-word poetry for the talent portion and talked about his platform for representation in entrepreneurship to attendees.
“Representation matters, and I want people who look like me can see themselves in a place of luxury, excellence and influence,” Van Liew said. “I not only stand before you as a contestant but as a future business leader dedicated to turning this vision into reality.”
“That (hearing contestants’ platforms) might inspire somebody to say, ‘Hey, I’m passionate about this, even though I wasn’t on the stage, I can still make that difference,’” Price said. “A big part of this pageant, I feel, is the inspiration that it can give, no matter whether you’re sitting in a crowd or on the stage.”
Sydney Sanders, a member of the Mr. Ivy Scholarship Pageant committee and AKA’s historian, said she hoped the money would help whoever wins in his college pursuits, as well as show men, regardless of their background, the impact they can have with the title.
“We just wanted to bring it back because we thought it seemed like this would help our community and help our peers and impact them because school is expensive,” Sanders said. “We just wanted to give back a little bit to our community and really make a name for this pageant.”
Sanders said the 2025 Mr. Ivy Scholarship Pageant marked the return of the event after it was suspended, saying the sorority now wanted to ensure the pageant would still be held, and continue to benefit the community after they graduate.
At the end of the night, each contestant earned a title, with Hall being crowned “Mr. 1975” (third place) Van Liew being crowned “Mr. Pink and Green” (second place) and Johnson being crowned “Mr. Ivy” (first place).
The title of “Mr. 1975” honors the year an AKA chapter was established at UK, according to Sanders.
After being crowned “Mr. Ivy,” Johnson said some goals of his are to expand AKA’s network and cultural awareness.
“I know there are not a lot of Bahamians here at this university, so just to be able to excel in this way despite being the minority here, it’s amazing,” Johnson said.
With his platform also centering around uplifting the youth, Johnson said he hoped his win would have greater significance for his cause.
“I remember when I was in their shoes on a small island, I dreamed of moments like these,” Johnson said. “I want them to dream of it as well.”
