CCU student wins Hollywood contest

Coastal Carolina University senior Mariah Howard won the grand prize in the ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood: Shine like a Star Contest.

As the winner of the contest, Howard and her mother traveled to Los Angeles and attended the ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Event on Feb.21. She received a dinner for two, a makeover and other prizes.

A communication major and journalism minor from Laurens, Howard is the president of the Coastal Activities Board, a member of the NAACP and a student mentor for the Dalton and Linda Floyd Family Mentoring program.

To win the contest, Howard wrote a 200-word essay describing her personal journey in life and why she “shined like a star,” and she submitted a picture of herself. She took her mother, Angela Howard, as her guest because she was her inspiration. A panel of judges picked the top four essays, and then the public voted on the final winner.

Howard dreams of working in the entertainment business, either as an entertainment correspondent or an actress.

“I never thought that I would win,” said Howard, who described the experience as “life changing. It is something I just did because I believe you miss all of the shots you do not take.”