top of page

BIOGRAPHY

RaSheeda A. Waddell is a performer, scholar, and educator. A native of Greensboro, NC, she holds the Master of Music degree in Voice Performance from East Carolina University in Greenville and completed her undergraduate studies at Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia. She is also a recipient of the International Baccalaureate Program diploma from Grimsley High School in Greensboro.

She is the 2007 Winner of the Piedmont Triad Vocal Arts Competition (formerly Leontyne Price Vocal Arts Competition) and placed 3rd at the regional level. A veteran of the Miss America Program, RaSheeda held several titles, including Miss Randolph County (the first African-American titleholder in the pageant's 50-year history), Miss Hampton University, and Miss Central Carolina. As Miss Central Carolina, she received preliminary talent & swimsuit awards and was named 3rd Runner Up to Miss North Carolina 2008. RaSheeda was later crowned Miss Black North Carolina USA 2010 and traveled 20,000 miles across the state promoting depression awareness; she was named 3rd Runner-Up to Miss Black USA.

 

Currently, RaSheeda is on the faculty at Pitt and Martin Community Colleges. RaSheeda recently joined Pitt's Office of Teaching & Learning as the first Specialist for Teaching & Learning/Perkins. In this role, she is responsible for developing and implementing professional development for PCC's 700 faculty/staff members, as well as instructional design coaching and administration of the Perkins grant. She is a credentialed Quality Matters (QM) Peer Reviewer and strives for equity in the classroom. She also holds certification in teaching Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) and is a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) practitioner.

 

RaSheeda maintains a private studio specializing in vocal instruction, artist development, and American Popular Music performance practice. In addition to vocal studies, her teaching interests include:

  • Music appreciation

  • History of American Popular Music

  • Music fundamentals

  • Womanist theory and other women & gender topics

  • Diversity, equity, and inclusion

 

A strong advocate of interdisciplinary studies, RaSheeda’s prized accomplishment is simply “helping people who would not otherwise like classical music or unfamiliar genres of music to enjoy and appreciate them.” RaSheeda was recently appointed to the Board of Directors for The Three M's Incorporated, a statewide non-profit youth enrichment program. She also serves on the Miss North Carolina Diversity and Inclusion Council and trained the Miss NC titleholders in DEI strategy in Spring 2022.

 

An avid performer, RaSheeda is the resident female vocalist with the Emerald City Big Band, Eastern North Carolina’s premiere jazz ensemble and performs solo and collaboratively throughout the state. From classical vocal selections to blues and soul, RaSheeda’s vocal programs span the gamut of musical diversity. RaSheeda is pleased to offer performance lectures to local community and nonprofit organizations, churches, schools, and other target groups. She is available for individual presentations, workshops, performance lectures, platform/panel discussions, vocal performances, pageant consulting & judging, music clinic instruction, and event hosting.

bottom of page