By Mary Colurso | mcolurso@al.com
Brianna Burrell is ready to rule — with smarts and grace, heart and commitment, a devotion to her home state and a passion for science, math and technology.
She’s the new Miss Alabama, crowned on July 1 at Samford University’s Wright Center in Birmingham. Burrell competed as Miss Baldwin County, impressing the judges and earning the title after just two years in the Miss Alabama organization. She’ll move on to the Miss America pageant in January, representing her state for a national audience.
Burrell became the third Black woman ever to earn the Miss Alabama title in the contest’s 102-year history. The two previous winners were Kalyn Chapman James in 1993 and Tiara Pennington in 2019-2020. Pennington held the title for an extra year due to the Covid-19 lockdown.
AL.com caught up with Burrell just a few days into her reign as Miss Alabama, sitting down with her at the Tutwiler Hotel for a wide-ranging interview. Here are excerpts from that 90-minute conversation, which covered everything from Burrell’s affection for her hometown — she’s a Mobile native, and proud of it — to her thoughts on empowered women. (Former First Lady Michelle Obama is one of her celebrity role models.)
(The interview has been edited for length and clarity.)
You were crowned Miss Alabama on a Saturday night at the Wright Center [at Samford University]. When you woke up the next morning, what was your first thought?
Brianna Burrell: I was staring at the ceiling and I was just like, “Am I in a dream?” My ears were muffled by the…
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