Bay Area

Vallejo Sorority Crowns Area High School Senior as 42nd Miss Fashionetta Debutante

Published

6 years ago

December 5, 2019

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc, and Kappa Beta Omega Chapter hosted their 42nd Fashionetta Debutante Ball entitled “Precious Pearls: Striving for Excellence in Leadership and Service” on Nov.23 with a court of 14 seniors from Bay Area high schools.

“We are extremely pleased to offer this successful program to so many deserving young ladies in our community,” said chapter President Sandra D. Stowes. “Workshops and community service opportunities provided them with important skills and information that prepare them for success in academic pursuits and future career aspirations.”

After completing 60 hours of community service, attending workshops, activities, and learning a complicated series of professionally choreographed performances over the past eight months, the competition culminated with the presentation of awards to several debutantes.

Benicia senior Draemoni Harmon was crowned “Miss Fashionetta.” Other awards were presented to Rodriguez High School senior Maya Caldwell, First Runner-Up; Kayla Moore, Second Runner-Up; and to Bryelle Fuller, Miss Congeniality. The banquet was attended by more than 400 family members and their guests.

Other debutantes included Kenya Carson, Mare Island Technology Academy; Khalieghya Dandie-Evans, Oakland Military Academy; Anessa Lanigan, Imani Lockwood, and Najat McDonald, Jesse Bethel High School; Princess McKey, St. Patrick-St.Vincent High School; Daejza Robinson and Jayln Robinson, Will C. Wood High School; Ayendica Sandeford, Realm Charter School; and Kayla Pope, from Vanden High School.

Debutante escorts also attended workshops and activities. Several escorts received awards, including “Escort of The Year,” Derrick Robinson; First Runner-Up, Deven Ward; and Second Runner-Up, Allen Lake, III. Jaymes Hart received the Vernon M. James Memorial Escort Award. Other escorts included Derrick Connor, Omari Daniel, Michael Denham, Kenneth Ferguson, II, Myles Hall, Clarence Martin, Quincy Patrick, Jordan Preston, James Rivers, MeKai Sams, Alonzo Smith, and Jonathan Wallace.

Solano Community College Board Vice President A. Marie Young was named “Soror of the Year” and has been a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha for 60 years, earning her the distinction as a Golden Soror. Alameda Superior Court Judge Trina Thompson was the keynote speaker and is also a sorority member.

The Debutante Ball, the chapter’s signature fundraiser, supports the sorority’s mission to award scholarships to deserving students who have chosen to attend a college or university. This year the chapter awarded a total of $5,000 to Jesse M. Bethel high school graduates Jada Dudley, Jhon Charlie King, Alisha Legras and LePaula Parker.
Angela Jones is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Kappa Beta Omega Chapter.

Angela Jones

Posts by Angela Jones

Up Next

“Vallejo Unites” Captures the City’s Spirit and Vitality

Don't Miss

Opinion: Census Data Won’t Be Used Against You: A Call for Refugees and Immigrant Families to Participate

Angela Jones

Click to comment

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

4 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.