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Class of 2023 Pelham graduate Jada Winston recently became a candidate for the 2025 Miss Alabama pageant. (Contributed/Joseph Roman Photography)

Jada Winston and Charlee Reid were crowned Miss Iron City and Miss Iron City’s Teen on Sunday, July 21 along with Rising Stars Maggie Pittman and Fleming Haughton. (Contributed)

(Contributed)

(Contributed)

(Contributed/Jason at The Rampant Lion Photography)

(Contributed/Joseph Roman Photography)

By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE | Special to the Reporter

Class of 2023 Pelham graduate Jada Winston recently became a candidate for the 2025 Miss Alabama pageant.

After being crowned Miss Iron City over the summer, Jada, now a sophomore at the University of North Alabama, will compete with dozens of other young ladies from across the state for next year’s title.

Jada has participated in pageants for years, including at Pelham Middle School and Pelham High School and most recently Miss North Alabama and Miss Shelby County, which were on back-to-back days in July.

“I looked at the schedule before finding the preliminaries listed out and found the ones to register for,” Jada said. “It was a lot of prep beforehand. I learned a lot and met so many wonderful girls.”

Jada keeps an extremely busy schedule between her school and pageant commitments. Being organized and keeping everything on a schedule is how she manages her time.

“Before the semester started, I got a schedule of everything I would be doing,” she said. “I put everything on there that I knew of before I planned other things. It’s a lot of juggling and it takes a lot of patience with myself to be able to do it all. Praying about it helps too, because I’m not in control, God is.”

Another activity that keeps Jada busy is being a member of the UNA cheer squad. This is her second year cheering for them and she also serves as the team’s social media co-chair.

Cheering since first grade, she said she was a sophomore in high school when she decided she wanted to cheer in college. She attended different recruiting camps and clinics through that, and was then able to join the Universal Cheerleaders Association staff.

One of the benefits of winning pageants in The Miss Alabama organization is receiving scholarships that pay for education funding. At UNA, Jada is majoring in sports management with a minor in public relations. She is involved in many campus activities, including serving as The Lion Publication secretary, an SGA College of Education and Human Sciences senator, College Ambassadors, is a member of the Black Lioness Association, the Sport Management Student Club and the Presidential Mentors Academy.

Candidates in the program are also required to have a community service initiative. Jada’s is called Bread of Life, which focuses on fighting food insecurity one family at a time. She partners with organizations that support the Shelby County community, including Vineyards Family Services, Backpack Buddies and Grace Klein Community/Feed Bham. Near to school, she also partners with The Shoals Dream Center in Florence and volunteers there every Wednesday afternoon.

“I partner with local food resource centers to be able to help their mission,” she said. “Our same mission is to provide resources and donations for people who are in need. I have been working with Backpack Buddies since I was nine-years-old, so it’s come full circle.”

She shared that in the United States, about one in eight people live in food insecure households, but in the Birmingham area, it’s about one in four.

“No matter what action you take, that could be lessening the percentage,” Jada said. “I want to remind people that this issue is big. Volunteering with an organization or sending monetary donations helps much more than we think. Over the next few years the percentage could go down and there’s always somewhere to help.

Coming up during her Miss Iron City reign, Jada has several events she will attend, including a Halloween party on Oct. 19 where guests are encouraged to bring in donations for Backpack Buddies. She will also be attending Market Noel which is held at the Finley Center in Hoover in November

Jada said one of the things she loves most about the pageants is the sisterhood she forms with the other young women.

“There are so many great girls who have similar ideas, drive and passion,” she said. “Everyone in the organization is welcoming and I also enjoy being able to get my community service initiative out there more.

Jada’s mom, Martina Winston, said she is proud of her daughter and her strong heart of service to others.

“When she gets focused and puts her mind to it, she can conquer anything,” Martina said. “She is very mature and she’s developing to be a better woman than I ever could have been at the age of 20. She amazes me every day with the things she’s able to balance. She is also very strong in her faith and her faith and trust in God is how she continues to order her steps. She’s kind of a fun show to watch.”

Jada will have the opportunity to represent the Iron City at the Miss Alabama competition next summer. To keep up with her journey, follow @missironcity2025 on Instagram and Miss Iron City Pageant on Facebook.

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