NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News) – As the 2021-2022 Miss Tennessee State University, Mallory Moore is using her unique position to implement a platform built around mentorship and providing opportunities for fellow students.  

To achieve her goal, she has initiated “Our Turn – Doing M.O.O.R.E,” or Making Opportunities Open to Retain Excellence, aimed at continuing TSU’s legacy of scholarship, leadership, and service; as well as “Shadowing a Tiger,” a mentoring program for freshmen and sophomores. 

“I want to do a mentorship initiative because I know for me coming in as a freshman, I didn’t have that and it made things a lot difficult for me,” says Moore. “I don’t want other students to face those difficulties. So, I want to create this program for the freshmen, and I am including the sophomores because the sophomore class didn’t get one because they were home due to the pandemic.” 

Moore is a senior health science major from Birmingham, Alabama. She won the coveted Miss TSU title in April after a fierce election process that also ushered in a new Mr. TSU (Mark T. Davis, Jr.), a new Royal Court, and other Student Government Association officers. 

As a former Miss Junior, Moore says she understands the challenges students coming to college for the first time face, such as coping in a new environment, developing new study habits, and making new friends. She wants to help them overcome potential pitfalls that could hinder their progress. 

“I am very determined, and I see that a lot of people see that I am very confident, and as a leader, I want to pass that on to them,” says Moore. “I want them to understand that college is fun, but to also remind them that there is a greater goal and an expected end, which is their eventual graduation.”  

Moore says although coming to TSU was to fulfill her mother’s dream of attending an historically black college or university (HBCU), she has no regrets about becoming a “Big Blue Tiger.” 

“The reason why I chose to come to TSU is because my mom wanted to go to TSU when she was my age, but my grandmother wouldn’t let her. She wanted her to go to a predominantly white institution. So, she begged me to go on a visit. I took my mom’s advice and came on a visit, and I immediately fell in love the moment I stepped on the campus. It has been the perfect home for me.” 

In addition to being Miss TSU, Moore is active in many campus organizations and programs. For two years, she served on the university’s cheerleading team, whose coach, Dwight Pope, she credits with helping to keep her on track.

“Coach Pope was very hard on , and I was upset with him at times, but looking back, he was teaching things I needed to know for this moment,” she says.

Moore is a member of the TSU choir, and the National Honor Society of Leadership and Success. She was initiated into Chi Psi chapter of Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity Incorporated, Alpha Psi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, and Order of Omega National Honor Society for Greek Leaders. 

The coronation of Mr. TSU and Miss TSU will be part of Homecoming week activities. It will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 27 in Kean Hall, starting at 7 p.m. 

For more information about TSU’s 2021 Homecoming, visit https://bit.ly/3aBoV7M.

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About Tennessee State University

Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a  premier, historically black university and land-grant institution offering 39 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs, and eight doctoral degrees.  TSU is a comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in McMinnville, Tennessee.  With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee State University provides students  with a quality education in a nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.