Miss HBCU Teen 2023
Your 2023 Miss HBCU Teen, Ssanyu Lerato Lukoma, is a proud native of Sayreville, New Jersey. Queen Ssanyu was crowned with this prestigious title representing Howard University on Saturday, March 4, 2023 in Bowie, Maryland. At Howard, Ssanyu will major in Journalism with Broadcast focus.
Ssanyu Lerato Lukoma
Ssanyu Lukoma is a teenage entrepreneur, author, and public speaker.
In 2018, at 13 years old, she founded Brown Kids Read, a non-profit organization dedicated to motivating all children, but especially children of color, to read more diverse literature.
Since then, she has created an online and pop-up bookstore called The Brown Reads Bookshelf and hosts a podcast called The Book Junkie. She also wrote a children’s picture book entitled Suubi's Sunny Smile through a publishing company she founded, Share a Smile Books.
Ssanyu is a junior broadcaster and Junior Advisory Board Member for KiDz HuB Media Network, a member of the Homeschool National Honor Society, and she has been playing basketball for eight years.
Most recently, in March 2023 she was crowned Miss HBCU Teen 2023 in the Miss HBCU Teen Scholarship Pageant’s national competition! Her reign focuses on diverse literature, empowering young voices, and educating young scholars about the value of HBCUs.
She has also presented to corporations including Flywire and JPMorgan Chase about Teenage entrepreneurship, and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Additionally, she presents goal-setting workshops for public high school students along with other workshops to help them stay motivated.
A true advocate for the academic achievement and literary advancement of youth.
Ssanyu was accepted to over 25 colleges & universities with over $900,000 in scholarship offerings including her $5,000 scholarship from Taco Bell. She could not be more proud of her decision to attend THE MECCA, Howard University where she will major in Journalism with a focus in Broadcast. HU!!
Ssanyu is a multifaceted titleholder and outside of her dedication to service and education she enjoys traveling, watching broadway shows, trying new crafts, playing volleyball, visiting museums, and spending time with family and friends.
A Public Speaker, Leader, and Role Model, Ssanyu says that Her ultimate goal is to inspire and motivate others to leave a positive impact on the world!
