We’re rooting for her!
Amber Corbett first got her start in pageants when she was just 11-years-old, The Villager reports. A shy child, Corbett says she was “practically mute,” during competitions but her mom thought it was a good way to boost her confidence and it worked.
“I just fell in love with pageantry. It really became a mother-and-daughter activity for us. Some kids had basketball or soccer. I had pageants,” explained Corbett.
Today, the 23-year-old is a Pace University graduate who works as a marketing coordinator in ad sales at NBCUniversal Peacock. Along the way, she has continued competing in pageants, taking home a number of crowns including Miss Galaxy NY 2021, Miss Galaxy NY Teen 2015, Miss Earth NY Teen 2015, Miss United States NY Jr Teen 2015, and IJM Junior Teen 2015. Now Corbett has made history, adding another crown to her collection and becoming the first Black woman to represent the USA at the Miss Intercontinental beauty pageant in its 51-year-history.
The competition this year was virtual so when Corbett found out the news, she was overwhelmed with excitement. USA Miss 2023 Katherine McQuade presented Corbett with her sash and crown at a meet and greet in New York recently. Corbett said the moment was surreal because she knows how much this will mean for other Black girls.
“My grandmother came from a really small town in Alabama where she was growing up, she could only go to the doctor on certain days. So to be able to be the first Black Miss Intercontinental USA, I was beside myself,” she said.
Corbett’s mom, Tiffany Summerville, said while the journey hasn’t been easy, juggling work, family, school and pageantry, the return on her investment has been worth it to see all that Corbett has been able to accomplish thus far.
“The return on the investment has been priceless. For her to be able to represent folks that look like her, young girls that look like her. You can’t be what you don’t see,” said Summerville.
Corbett will compete for the title of Miss “POWER OF BEAUTY,” serving as a goodwill ambassador for the Miss Intercontinental Organization if she wins, educating people about societal issues like poverty eradication, gender equality, environmental conservation and healthcare. Corbett hopes to continue to advocate for diversity in the industry, establishing the “She’s Represented” organization as a resource for women of color navigating corporate America. She hopes to create safe spaces to allow Black professional women to connect more while continuing her charitable endeavors.
The Miss Intercontinental beauty pageant is set to take place this December. No word on a location yet. Congratulations Amber!
Cover photo: Amber Corbett makes history as first Black woman to represent USA in Miss Intercontinental Pageant/Photo Courtesy of Gabriele Holtermann/The Villager