December 4, 2018 – Petersburg, Va. – Deshauna Barber, Miss USA 2016, will be Virginia State University’s (VSU) fall commencement speaker scheduled for Saturday, December 15 at 10 a.m. in the VSU Multipurpose Center.
On Sunday, June 5, 2016, Barber was crowned the first Miss USA to currently serve in the United States military. She spent her year-long reign as Miss USA partnering with and lending her voice to the organizations such as the USO, Smile Train, Best Buddies, Operation Homefront and numerous others.
Deshauna has made it her life goal to encourage, inspire and strengthen the people around her. She is a survivor of child sexual abuse and wants to inspire other survivors to fight through the fears of their past. Deshauna has also overcome extreme bullying from a young age but after the recent loss of her mother to cancer, she wants to encourage people to focus on loving yourself and the people around you.
Deshauna has a Bachelor of Science degree in business management from VSU and then went on to complete her Master of Science degree in computer information systems and services at the University of Maryland University College. She has worked as an IT analyst in the United States Government for more than five years being employed by agencies such as the Department of Defense, Department of Transportation, Department of the Navy and lastly the Department of Commerce. Captain Deshauna Barber is a logistics commander in the United States Army Reserve. She commissioned as a Quartermaster Officer in 2011 and has been serving her country ever since. Deshauna has a passion for our men and women in uniform and has spent much of her career focusing on advocating for soldiers suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The 27-year-old was born in Columbus, Georgia; however, as the daughter of an Army Master Sergeant who served in the United States Special Forces, Deshauna relocated multiple times growing up.
Deshauna has appeared on The Steve Harvey Show, The Rachael Ray Show, Fox and Friends, The Chelsea Show, Good Morning Washington, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The T.D. Jakes Show, The Nightly Show, The Source on Sirius XM, The Daily Show, Lunch Break, Live with Kelly, Good Morning America and in Glamour Magazine and Diversity Magazine.
