Emicia Parker is an award-winning Community Leader, Child Advocate, Speaker, Writer and classically-trained Fine Artist. She serves her community in many ways, but mainly through leading, educating, speaking and writing. As a poet, she has been featured at many note-worthy venues, including the legendary Nuyorican Poets Cafe, Brooklyn Borough Hall and Princeton Theological Seminary. And she enjoys being a keynote speaker, especially at graduations.

Emicia has also used pageantry as a platform to impact the lives of youth through her testimony and it’s declaration of God’s power. In 2014, she was crowned Ms New York through the Miss Plus America Pageant system and in 2018, she was crowned Miss Jamaica through the Miss Plus World Pageant system. During her reigns, she advocated powerfully for youth, even speaking at a televised City Hall Press Conference on behalf of a bill to hold children's services accountable for foster children aging out of the system. As a product of the foster care system herself, seeing this bill later pass was very meaningful to her. Her life's mission is to integrate her testimony with her skills and education to empower others. She has received a City Council Citation and a Senate Resolution for her work.

Emicia graduated cum laude from Nyack College with a Bachelor's degree and then earned her Master's of Science in Organizational Leadership, defending the thesis that she completed while conducting a 50-person research study. In 2021, she went back to her art roots and completed a certification in Fine Arts from Pratt Institute. She is excited to now launch her art business, Empress by Emicia.
1- Books were my first friends growing up. I literally own hundreds of them now (part of my library is pictured above).
2- I enjoy listening to WQXR but also enjoy listening to rap battles.
3- I once weighed over 400lbs. Losing over 170lbs and keeping it off for over 10 years changed my life entirely and built my discipline.
4- My inspiration for entering pageantry was not any Kenya Moore pageant girl sterotype, but Lisa Hanna. She is still one of my greatest role models! The way that she serves others endlessly inspires me.
5- My favorite traditional job so far has been working in Higher Ed as an Admissions Counselor. My team (pictured above) was awesome and the students I was privileged to serve were also! I developed native skills and spiritual gifts in that role that I will carry for life.
6- I luh God. You don't luh God? What's wrong with you?
7- I have an autoimmune disease called Hashimoto's Thyroiditis which causes my immune system to attack my thyroid. While health problems aren't fun, this disease has taught me how to manage stress. I am very careful with my energy now. #DramaFree
8- Is it made of sequins, crystals or ankara? Yes? Then I want it :o).
9- I enjoy cooking and I can make healthy meals taste g-g-great!
10- My Myers-Briggs personality type is INFJ. So while I am 100% an introvert, any sort of public speaking or presenting rooted in a deep purpose comes easily for me. I tend to connect with people in profound ways. And then I need an inordinate amount of time alone.