“Everything and nothing at the same time” was how the 2026 Miss University of North Alabama Jada Winston felt after hearing her name being called for the title.
Winston’s coronation comes after years of pageantry experience, being involved since childhood. Throughout her college years, she placed second runner-up at Miss UNA 2024 as a freshman, was crowned Miss Iron City 2025 and placed within the top 13 at Miss Alabama 2025.
“I want to be a Miss UNA for the people,” Winston said. “I want to make sure they know that I’m just Jada Winston. I’m not only Miss UNA. I am here to be a friend to all because that’s my job.”
Winston’s community service initiative cares for food insecurity. She created “Bread of Life” to focus on fighting hunger and increasing food awareness across the state. Even though the initiative was founded in 2024, the work started at eight-years-old, volunteering with food-packing programs with her mother, Martina Winston.
Since, she has been partnering with food pantries and organizations from Birmingham to Florence — Winston says hunger is an ongoing issue, not a temporary one.
“It will never go away,” Winston said. “Hunger is always something that we will have to focus on.”
On campus, she encourages students to use available resources such as the ROAR Pantry and local organizations like the Shoals Dream Center. Also highlighting support through United Way’s 211 resource line.
Beyond service, Miss UNA has been representing students in a variety of campus activities. Starting her UNA journey as a cheerleader, Winston was also a member of Freshman Forum’s Outreach and Philanthropy committee, which turned into a sophomore year Student Government Association senatorial position. Winston currently serves SGA as Pro-Tempore.
Winston is a proud Zeta Phi Beta Sorority treasurer and member. She also serves the National Pan-Hellenic Council as director of programming. She is also a member of the Black Lioness Association and UNA Digital Ambassadors.
As she prepares to represent UNA at Miss Alabama 2026, Winston said the journey is only beginning. She plans on spending her year by honoring the Miss America organization with her initiative and voice.
To Winston, the organization strives for women who are “active citizens with great education and careers.”
