JÁNEEN RENEÉ PHELPS

MISS BLACK NEVADA USA 2005

Miss Black Nevada USA 2005, Jáneen Reneé Phelps is not your average pageant girl.  This 21 year-old Las Vegas native, is a senior at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, completing a bachelor’s degree in Linguistic Studies. With this degree, she plans to enlist with the United States Air Force as an Arabic linguist. It is with the military that she will gain the skills and training needed to begin her career as a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Ms. Phelps has lettered in varsity track and soccer and is now a member of the Nevada State Soccer League.  Playing soccer is what eventually led Jáneen Reneé to receiving academic and athletic scholarships to Lander University in Greenwood, South Carolina, where she became the first African-American woman to play for the Lander Bearcats and the first student to attend the university from the state of Nevada.  It was her brief stay in South Carolina that influenced her decision to make communities aware of the importance of cultural diversity.  As Miss Black Nevada, Ms. Phelps has dedicated her time to promoting self-respect, tolerance and acceptance of cultural diversity.  She is in the process of developing a program designed specifically for junior high/middle school students called Stomping Stereotypes: Promoting Tolerance & Fighting Hate.  This program will deal with local and global diversity issues. 

Jáneen Reneé is a lady of many talents. Being blessed with the gift of song, she has spent her time honing her skills in church choirs throughout the Las Vegas valley. One of Ms. Phelps most recent accolades includes winning the Las Vegas “Showtime on Tour” audition. This feat earned her a spot on the nationally televised amateur competition “Showtime at the Apollo” in New York.  While she is presently working on a demo project, she hopes to write, produce and record her own album that will showcase another one of her talents—her ear for languages.  Jáneen Reneé sings in English, Spanish, as well as Portuguese. She is currently learning Arabic and Tagalog with hopes of learning more languages through world travel and cultural immersion.  She is very active within her community and enjoys mentoring youth.  She is also an avid speaker in her community about the current drought conditions affecting Southern Nevada and the southwest region of the country.  She is an advocate for Adopt-A-Soldier, Adopt-A-Platoon, Heaven Can Wait Sanctuary, and The Animal Foundation.  Her hobbies include: road trips, riding roller coasters, writing music, reading, flag-football, attempting to drive manual stick-shift vehicles, and “tourist-watching” on the Las Vegas Strip with friends.  Make sure you watch out for this ambitious trailblazer, as she represents the Silver State this summer in Washington, D.C.!