Harvard Student Is Sassiest

Rhodes Scholars aren't the only Harvard students to become celebrities this week.

Tomorrow, in newsstands nation-wide, Malikah J. Sherman '96 will be crowned by Sassy magazine as the "Sassiest Girl in America" and Amina Runyan-Shefa '97 as one of six "Sassy Girl" finalists.

Sherman and Runyan-Shefa were chosen from more than 3,000 applicants as part of Sassy's national search for what Runyan-Shefa described as "intelligent, fun, community-minded, independent females."

"Sassy means someone with a good mind..well formed ideas..and definitely knowledgeable," said Sherman, a Dunster resident. "It's not a modeling thing."

Sherman said she collected $5,000 dollars from the September contest. Sassy magazine also made a $2,500 donation to two charities of her choice.

She said she plans to use the prize money for college tuition and donate the rest to AIDS research and Hale House, a home in New York City for AIDS and crack-addicted babies.

Sherman said she became a finalist after responding to the contest's challenge to "describe a perfect society."

She made flash cards with lighthearted and serious headlines and constructed a 3-D city out of paper that could be worn as a crown. She also discussed her plans to become a doctor and help those who "go in poverty, go without health care, and go on drugs."

In September, the six finalists flew to New York on an all-expense-paid trip to determine the contest's finalist, Sherman said.

Misconceptions abound about the popular magazine aimed at adolescent women, Sherman said, adding that the periodical encourages intelligence and expression among women.

"The magazine is meant to empower women and leave them with a good self esteem, which girls today lack," Sherman said.

Runyan-Shefa, a Matthews resident, said her involvement in the contest "all started out as a joke."

She said she spent a week this summer cutting and pasting her conception of a perfect society into seven, neatly categorized cutouts but soon forgot about the contest.

Runyan-Shefa became serious, though, after discovering she was one of six finalists in the country. Like Sherman, Runyan-Shefa enjoyed a five-day trip in New York. "Even though I didn't win, I didn't really feel like I lost," she said.

Despite the publicity Sherman has suddenly received, including possible slots on Good Morning America, Arsenio, and the Tonight Show, she said she won't let her sudden fame go to her head.

"[I will] keep on acting like myself. Isn't that what made me the 'Sassiest Girl' anyway?" Sherman said.

Runyan-Shefa was more outspoken in her reaction to her newfound celebrity status.

"If anyone says sassy to me one more time...I'll kill them," she said.