Dr. Chanell Dingle-Sermon, South Carolina Elite Ms. Heart of the USA 2022, is pictured in a crown and sash provided by Miss Heart of the USA

Years ago, one South Carolina woman only dreamed of becoming a pageant queen. Dr. Chanell Dingle-Sermon, became a pageant queen titleholder after receiving the title, “South Carolina Elite Ms. Heart of the USA 2022.” She is also the first woman from South Carolina to hold this title on the Miss Heart of the USA pageant platform. She is a native of Columbia, South Carolina, a teacher with a doctorate in education (ED.D), a minister, and a motivational speaker. She secured her first pageant title on December 17, 2021 through entering and winning an online photo contest sponsored by the Miss Heart of the USA pageant, founded by Ciera Ingram.

The Miss Heart of the USA pageant is a platform that encourages women nationally to be active in their communities with “Hearts, Heels, and Helping Hands” as their motto. “I remember on that day I was tired and I was beginning my winter break. I had just finished dropping off the holiday cards my students made for the elderly when I learned that I won that title,” Dr. Sermon states. “At first, I thought they were going to tell me that I didn’t get it but my eyes got wider the more I continued reading the information.”

She has been very active in her community and empowering women nationally to give back to their communities through service. Dr. Sermon has even helped a school in a rural district earn the Gold President’s Volunteer Service Award through implementing a service learning program onsite for students along with helping them to win $1,000 in a school wellness initiative through her writing skills. She primarily does this through her nonprofit organization, Kappa Epsilon Lambda Royal Christian Sorority, Incorporated which is also recognized as the “I AM H.E.R. International Nonprofit of the Year" for 2022.

Additionally, she is also the “I AM H.E.R. International Teacher of the Year" for 2022. She has taught in a rural school district in South Carolina for over ten years with an emphasis of bridging visual art with literacy and other areas of the curriculum. As a teacher, she has wrote and won over $3,200 in grants for her classroom and school. In 2016, she inspired a student with an idea which led her to placing number one in the state in an art contest themed, "A Place Called Home," sponsored by the Richland County Public Library. Today, her students still place in state competitions. With encouragement and support from veteran and new colleagues over the years, she’s been able to make her mark in a school’s culture.

The following administrators and educators has made it possible for her to thrive in her area of education:

Mr. Barry Charley
Mrs. Ronda Simmons
Mrs. Sylvia Goodwin
Ms. Shawanna White
Mrs. Sreerashmi Sumeesh
Mrs. Carolyn Snider
Mr. Roscoe Mitchell
Mrs. Angela Colter-Haigler
Mr. Glen Aiken
Mrs. Tamika Fordham
Dr. Shuniqua Hart
Ms. Izetta Buckner
Mrs. Marla Fanning
Mrs. Anita Fersner
Mrs. Jacqueline Myrick
Ms. LaToya Charley
Ms. Thomasena Mack
Mrs. Iris Smith
Mrs. Thomasena Mitchell-Simmons

“They’ve been very essential to helping me feel a part of a school through checking on me as a new teacher, co-teaching across the curriculum with me, providing feedback, involving me in school activities, and inspiring my development as a teacher. I’m Godly grateful for them. They have truly made me feel like I mattered and that my work as a teacher is enough. It means a lot to me since I teach art, an under-appreciated discipline among some institutions in education. Therefore, I work towards spreading enlightment concerning the visual arts discipline and how it contributes to students receiving a quality education based on proven research,” she states. 

Dr. Sermon uses the pageant platform to uplift and empower those with deep rooted self-worth issues while advocating for mental health and against domestic violence. She uses her past struggles with low self-esteem and low self-worth to help others unleash the greatness within them. “This is a great honor to me because I get to be a face that empowers others to tap into their God-given purpose so they can be the change that they wish to see. These accomplishments are important to me because many children, even some of my students, are living in toxic, dysfunctional environments that need to be able to identify with someone that overcame such things. I was one of them. I just want to be that hero to the people that see themselves as inferior to others,” she states.

“Another thing that’s happening is this trend going around where people are looking for clout in shrinking others,” she continues. “It happens often online, in workplaces, at home, and in other settings where people can gather. The weakest people are the ones that seek to belittle others in order to shine and feel good about themselves. This also needs to stop. Why can’t everyone shine within their own right? So I’m definitely hoping that my platform will help change that.”

Her message to empower others is: “Greatness is in you and great things take time to happen. So, never give up on yourself no matter how hard things may look. Put God first. Learn to love yourself and let nobody tell you who you are. Only the weak in heart feels better by shrinking others. Spend time perfecting or discovering your gifts because they will open doors of opportunities for you.”

To learn more about Miss Heart of the USA, visit https://missheartoftheusa.com/.

Miss Heart of the USA State Queens: https://missheartoftheusa.com/2022-state-queens

I AM H.E.R. International 2022 Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2YFh15Q8D0

Inspirational message, "Embracing your Identity" by Dr. Sermon: https://www.facebook.com/iamprettydoc/videos/470155611224852/

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Company Name: Kappa Epsilon Lambda Royal Christian Sorority, Incorporated
Contact Person: Dr. Chanell Dingle-Sermon
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Country: United States
Website: https://www.iamprettydoc.com/