By: Belle Kelly
Jay Raby, a transfer student from Birmingham-Southern College (BSC), made history as the first Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. (Alpha) representative in the Mr. Samford pageant. He won the pageant by captivating the audience with his silly performances and heartfelt interview.
Coming from BSC, Raby initially felt the culture shock of transitioning colleges. His friends in his fraternity encouraged him to transfer to Samford when BSC began steps to permanent closure.
Before being a college student or understanding Greek life, Alpha was part of Raby’s life. His uncle, who was an impactful leader and mentor for Raby, was an Alpha.
“No matter what battles he was going through in life, he always pushed me to be the best version of myself, and that is something that has always stuck with me,” Raby said. “That is what drew me to Alpha — that example that I had growing up in life.”
Raby’s chapter of Alpha was initially joint, bringing together members from both BSC and Samford. Because of this, Raby heard about the Mr. Samford pageant before transferring to Samford from his Alpha brother, Akeim Thames.
Thames competed in Mr. Samford last year, representing Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and placed second. Raby confided in Thames for details on what Mr. Samford would look like should he compete after transferring. Thames persuaded Raby to join, and soon, Raby became the first ever Mr. Samford Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. representative.
“Jay was a great contestant for Mr. Samford because he has the heart, spirit and posture of Christ,” Thames said. “I am inspired by Jay’s tenacity to always keep a positive mindset despite personal adversity and unforeseen adversity. He has truly demonstrated the mentality of Christ by remaining humble and authentic in whatever he does.”
From day one, Raby knew that he wanted to perform his lip-sync song to “Single Ladies” by Beyoncé, as he performed this song in a lip-sync battle which he won during his freshman year at BSC.
“The adrenaline was insane. It was exhilarating,” Raby said. “I go out on stage, just walking out calmly, seeing everyone in the crowd. I turned around, and as soon as I heard the beat going, I don’t know what came over me. It was just like… it’s time.”
Then, after scrolling on TikTok and seeing trending evolutionary dances, Raby decided to perform an evolutionary dance montage as his talent — completed with a big head cutout of President Beck Taylor’s face. President Taylor proceeded to post a clip of Raby’s dance on his Instagram because he enjoyed it so much.
Although his first two performances were silly, Raby wanted his interview question to be thoughtful and serious. He encouraged the audience that, regardless of hardship, it will be okay as long as they keep pushing, praying and being the best version of themselves, just as his uncle taught him.
“I just knew that I wanted to be part of something that was bigger than myself,” Raby said. “The experience of doing Mr. Samford has just meant a lot to me, not even to mention all of us coming together to raise awareness for breast cancer.”
