Software Development student goes for gold in upcoming Miss USA Rhode Island pageant

May 24, 2022

The crown is merely an accessory to what Community College of Rhode Island student Allison Thompson could accomplish as the next Miss Rhode Island USA.

Thompson, a 26-year-old Newport, RI, native currently enrolled in the college’s free Software Developer program through the Division of Workforce Partnerships, competes for the first time this weekend in the 2022 Miss Rhode Island USA pageant at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Providence, one of 50 contestants vying for the crown.

State winners advance to the 71st annual Miss USA pageant later this year, and the winner of that pageant competes for the ultimate title of Miss Universe. With each victory, pageant winners earn opportunities to become social media personalities, influencers, and, in some cases, actresses or reality television stars. Thompson hopes to use her platform to genuinely inspire others.

A project manager for Newport-based design firm Shore-Creative and a budding web designer, Thompson enrolled at CCRI in November of 2021 – three years after earning her bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University – with the goal of advancing in the male-dominated tech industry, proving she deserves a “seat at the table.” Her dream job is working as a User Experience (UX) Designer responsible for making products, such as mobile apps or websites, more user-friendly, enjoyable, and accessible.

In the pageant world, her goals are remarkably similar. Growing up in Newport as the daughter of immigrant parents from Jamaica, Thompson watched a lot of pageants, citing a lack of diversity among contestants. She dreamt she could one day walk that stage, but never had the time, or the drive, to go for the crown until she realized that the search for representation in her community – her “seat at the table” – should start with herself.

“I always want to see or meet more people who remind me of myself,” she said, “so maybe I can be that person for other people.

“When people ask, ‘Who deserves a seat at the table?’ the answer is we all do. But someone has to do it first. I want to carve out spaces for young Black women like myself and all ambitious women to see themselves represented on a regional and national platform.”

At Wake Forest, Thompson studied Communications, then spent a year in Madrid working as an English teacher at a Spanish elementary school. When the pandemic shut down schools, including hers, Thompson returned to the United States and began working at Shore-Creative in the summer of 2020, where she developed a newfound passion for design.

With a desire to shift careers, Thompson began searching for the right program to earn her certification, ultimately choosing CCRI’s free online Software Developer training. The 13-month program offers up to 21 transferrable credits in addition to a 12-week paid internship upon completion.

Balancing school with her full-time job was challenging at first, but Thompson credits CCRI Academic Coach/Counselor Joyce Gansert, among others, with helping her reacclimate to life as a student.

“What I love most about CCRI is being able to access those resources when you need them,” Thompson said.

“They have a great online tutoring program, which was especially convenient, and they always have the answer to your questions. I’m a first-generation college graduate, and sometimes you don’t know where to go or where look for things.”
In addition to working full time and attending college, Thompson volunteers at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center in Newport, a service provider for at-risk individuals, families, and seniors, where she also attended daycare as a child. She helps organize the center’s summer concert series and also uses her “conversational Spanish skills” to connect with residents who don’t speak English as their first language.  

With a heavy workload this semester, she remained on the fence about entering the pageant until her older sister, Deon – whom she jokingly describes as her “stage mom” – encouraged her to participate.

The feedback, she said, has been inspiring; Thompson has raised money through her GoFundMe campaign and solicited several sponsors within the community to help cover pageant expenses, all of which has helped calm some of the nerves heading into the weekend and further prove she belongs on this stage.

What motivates her the most is the opportunity to inspire others, particularly other young women like herself who may feel underrepresented or question whether they belong.

“From the outside looking in, pageants are very much considered competition, but throughout this process I have understood the importance of my platform and being on that stage,” Thompson said. “The biggest thing I hold with me is being the daughter of first-generation immigrants and witnessing my parents’ journey, what they went through to become citizens, and what it means for others like them.

“I, too, know what it’s like to feel lost in a new place, so if I can help somebody along the way, that is my ultimate goal.”

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