Shanel James
M I S S U S I N T E R N A T I O N A L 2 0 1 7
About Me
"A woman's gifts will make room for her."
- Mae Jemison
Shanel James, a native of Fort Meade, Maryland, epitomizes both beauty and brains. She is a graduate of Howard University with a business degree, concentrating in marketing. Her interest in marketing began in high school when she joined the Distributive Education Club of America (DECA), a club that prepares leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, hospitality, and management, through competitive events and workshops. Her major provided her the opportunity to intern within both the public and private sector for organizations such as McGraw-Hill and The National Security Agency, which prepared her for her current role in marketing with McCormick & Company.
Shanel developed a love for the arts at an early age. From the age of three, she began acting and performing in musicals such as Once on this Island and The Wiz. Additionally, she loves to draw and often spends her free time practicing her sketching or attending social painting events.
One of the many ways Shanel is active in her community is through her sorority, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. As a member, she has been able to incorporate her love for children, serving as scholarship committee chair, working with the youth group, and raising money for premature babies with the March of Dimes. In addition, she was able to create an ongoing partnership with her sorority chapter and Happy Helpers for the Homeless, an organization that she has volunteered with since high school that provides basic necessities to the homeless in Baltimore. In her reign, Shanel was proud to be a Pageant Queen with a purpose, inspiring young women and girls to dream bigger and live their best life.
Shanel is honored to have been Miss US International 2017 and represent the United States in the Miss International competition in Tokyo, Japan.
Learn more about Shanel's platform, helping youth to dream bigger.
Appearances
"If you want to feel good, you have to go out and do some good."
- Oprah Winfrey
Shoot with Me!