Lauren Parkes (Miss Black Delaware USA 2007 and Miss Maryland Galaxy 2008) was born on April 7, 1987, in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Background

Parkes-Springfield attended parochial schools in

Baltimore County Baltimore County ( , locally: or ) is the third-most populous county in the U.S. state of Maryland and is part of the Baltimore metropolitan area. Baltimore County (which partially surrounds, though does not include, the independent City of ...

before entering the Institute of Notre Dame in

. She was a member of the competition dance for all four years of her high school career. In addition she was a member of the Peer Ministry Club. During her senior year, she was honored as a Maryland Distinguished Scholar in academics and the art of dance. Lauren is a graduate of the

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 mas ...

where she received a Bachelor of Science in Fashion Merchandising. Parkes-Springfield also graduated with a Master of Arts in Professional and

Business Communications Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit." Having a business name does not separate ...

from

La Salle University La Salle University () is a private, Catholic university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The university was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and named for St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle. History La ...

. After relocating to Florida she earned her MBA from

Florida Southern College Florida Southern College (Florida Southern, Southern or FSC) is a private college in Lakeland, Florida. In 2019, the student population at FSC consisted of 3,073 students along with 130 full-time faculty members. The college offers 50 undergradu ...

. Lauren is currently married to Musician/Producer Brandon Springfield. Parkes-Springfield still operates as a speaker, pageant coach and model. Lauren plans to compete for a Mrs. Title in the upcoming years.

Pageants

Since her entry into the pageantry arena, she has competed in such pageants as: Miss Maryland Teen USA 2004, Miss Maryland Teen Coed 2005 (4th Runner up), Miss Maryland USA 2007, Miss Black Delaware USA (Winner), Miss Delaware USA 2008 (Top 16), Miss Maryland Galaxy 2008 (Winner), and Miss Earth Delaware 2011 (Winner). She has also won a variety of awards consisting of: Most Promising Model, Best Sportswear Model, Best Smile, Placement in the semi-finals, and two-time Best Interview honors. Parkes-Springfield is currently a resident of Florida and is actively involved with her community. Before relocating she was a Big Sister in the Big Brother Big Sister organization of Delaware and a volunteer cheerleading coach of a Junior Olympic Cheerleading team at the Boys and Girls Club of Newark, Delaware. Furthermore, she recently founded a non-profit organization entitled Project Wish List which enables disadvantaged families to have an incredible Christmas holiday. During her reign as Miss Black Delaware USA, Parkes-Springfield deemed it important to teach youth that they can accomplish their dreams and stay true to themselves in the process of doing so. She stresses that it is essential that we show faith in our youth and as role models continuously strive to break down barriers whether they be gender, race, or age related. During this time she also campaigned for greater awareness of Black History Month, as well as increase funding for inner city schools within the greater city areas of Delaware. In 2010 Parkes-Springfield placed in the Top 5 in the Miss Maryland USA competition. In 2011, Lauren placed 1st runner up to Miss Delaware USA 2012.
Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parkes, Lauren 1987 births Living people People from Baltimore