It’s pageant season, and one FAMU alumna is making sure she makes her mark on the hill by helping orchestrate the best pageants and campaigns.
Winslyn B. Parrish, an MHA candidate, pageant coordinator and campaign manager, acts as the founder and president of The Winning Experience, specializing in “management and coaching for HBCU campaigns and pageantry,” according to the company’s Instagram.
Parrish’s company prides itself on providing an exceptional experience for each and every candidate and campaign she oversees.
“We provide personalized coaching, guidance, and support to cultivate confidence, poise and authenticity in every student. Our mission is to foster a transformative journey, equipping participants with the skills, mindset, and preparation necessary to excel on campus and beyond, creating a lasting legacy of empowered and confident leaders,” Parrish said.
Similar to the company’s core values, Integrity, empowerment, excellence, Inclusiveness and passion, giving has always been something Parrish has taken great pride in. She says that the pageants and campaigns she managed were done pro bono before the founding of her business.
Parrish started the company around January of 2023 due to her innate ability to excel in the execution and planning of past campaigns and pageants she did for herself and her friends over the years.
“People have been telling me to make this a business since the second I started helping with campaigns way back in 2021,” Parrish said. “You know, I would win. I would help my friends get the positions they wanted.”
Parrish has had a hand in some notable pageants and campaigns, including the spring 2023 Omega Psi Phi pageant.
She most recently coordinated the pageant for the Alpha Xi Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. According to Parrish, working on the Kappa pageant is some of her most notable work, as the fraternity has not put on a big production in over four years.
Jayden Flemming, a third-year accounting student and member of The Alpha Xi chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, shared his experience working with Parrish.
“She took our pageant to a whole other level. We literally had a lifesize Barbie doll with Alpha Xi on it, and on the day of the pageant, she made sure everything was going exactly how it needed to go,” Flemming said.
“Anything Winnie likes to put on is extravagant, and off the bat, you can tell she’s very detail-oriented and follows a very strict timeline.”
Parrish has also played a huge role in many campaigns over the years. Parrish ran her own campaign for sophomore class president and Miss Junior Attendant, which she won. She ran the campaign for YuKwon Tony, who ran for the King of Orange and Green and won.
“I will say that I’ve had a hand in everything that you can run for on this campus,” Parrish said.
Parrish helped run the campaign for the senior attendant who reigned after her reign as Miss Junior. She also successfully ran the campaigns for both the 116th and 117th Miss FAMU, to name a few.
The success of Parrish and her abilities to put on an exceptionally amazing production are clear, but there’s one thing that has stood out to her most since the start of her business.
“A highlight is being recognized outside of this HBCU, so my goal for this business is to become the premier pageant and campaign consulting firm for all HBCU’s,” Parrish said. “The fact that Alcorn State knows me, Benedict College, Grambling, Howard, is amazing and has definitely been a highlight.”
As for the Winning Experience, Parrish still needs to solidify what next steps she will take with her business. However, the options are broad, and the future is bright for the Winning Experience.