June 21, 2009 -- Around 6 a.m. Sunday, 23-year-old Shayla Solomon was at the Cyril E. King Airport, getting ready to accompany her "Graffiti Street" students on their end-of-the-year trip to Italy. But just a few hours earlier, she was standing on stage at the Prior-Jolleck Hall, smiling and crying as she was crowned this year's Miss U.S. Virgin Islands.
As the winner of the annual scholarship pageant, Solomon picked up the $5,000 International Capital & Management Company Scholarship, which she plans to put toward earning her master's degree in public relations. Solomon took awards in the interview and evening-gown categories, and also won the Miss America Community Service State Scholarship award for her work as the producer of "Graffiti Street," a volunteer position she's held for the past two years.
"I feel ... great," Solomon said breathlessly after Saturday's pageant, fanned by the pageant's judges and members of the Miss Virgin Islands Scholarship Organization. "It's like a dream come true."
Solomon and the other three contestants have spent months preparing for the pageant -- which gives the winner a chance to fly to Las Vegas to compete for the title of Miss America in January 2010. Each contestant built their platforms around improving and empowering the local community, from bringing theater programs to V.I. schools to giving women the tools they need to become leaders within their society.
Their messages rang through the Prior-Jolleck Hall at Antilles School Saturday night.

"Never be afraid -- there's always someone out there to help you," said Jamie Gaston, the lone contestant from St. Croix, whose anti-domestic-violence platform encourages women to reach out when they're in trouble. A business-management major at the University of the Virgin Islands, Gaston lit up the stage during the talent competition Sunday with a jazz routine set to Liza Minnelli's "Mein Herr," replete with a flapper-inspired costume that featured a black fringe and sparkling silver belt.
Gaston was this year's third-runner up and the recipient of $1,500 in scholarship money.
Dressed in floor-length purple gown covered in rhinestones, 20-year-old Esonica Veira drew gasps from the audience during the evening-gown competition. But the hall shook with applause when she took the stage to sing "Wind Beneath My Wings," dressed in a red-white-and blue costume as a tribute to President Barack Obama.
Veira, well known for her singing and dancing abilities, said during the question-and-answer round that bringing theater programs to local schools would give kids a forum in which to showcase their abilities and grow their confidence.
Veira was this year's second runner up, and also the recipient of $1,500 in scholarship funds.
Currently a sophomore at Georgia State University, 18-year-old Aziree Pemberton centered her platform on empowering women and bringing more organizations to the territory that would inspire women to take on more leadership positions in the community.
Pemberton, an aspiring journalist also minoring in public relations, performed a lyrical dance during the talent competition. Dressed in a Grecian-inspired costume, she moved gracefully across the stage, eliciting loud cheers from across the room.
"I feel great," she said about taking the first-runner-up slot. "I'm glad to have accomplished such a difficult task."
But Solomon's cheering section was overpowering throughout the evening, as her supporters even pulled out and waved flags with her picture on it. Dressed in a one-shouldered blue evening gown, Solomon tickled the ivories during the talent competition, playing Stevie Wonder's "Ribbon in the Sky," and had the crowd going once again during the evening-gown competition, when she swept across the stage in a simple white dress fringed with wisps of feathers and silver rhinestones that matched the crown.
"Starting immediately, I'm going to be getting ready for Las Vegas in January," she said later. "I really want to represent the Virgin Islands well."
Thanking her friends and family -- especially her mom, Lucina Bartlette -- for their support, Solomon also sent out a special Father's Day message to her dad, Arthur Solomon, since she and "Graffiti Street" were scheduled to fly out Sunday.
The four contestants weren't the evening's only entertainment. The packed audience was treated Sunday to performances by both the Sebastien and St. Thomas Majorettes, whose members took the stage in full Carnival regalia. Pageant host Ericka Dunlap, also Miss America 2004, performed a song from her upcoming country album and had the audience going with a few jokes, while Miss Virgin Islands 2008 Shamika Thomas also had the hall ringing with her deep, soulful signing voice.
Scheduled to sing "The Star Spangled Banner" Saturday was 18-year-old Karence DeCosta, who died two weeks ago in a tragic car accident on St. Thomas. In a sobering moment, the audience stood as a flautist took the stage to honor her memory, performing both the National Anthem and the V.I. March.
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