Nilah Pettus

Miss DC's Outstanding Teen 2016
Nilah Pettus was crowned Miss District of Columbia’s Outstanding Teen on June 19, 2016. Her platform,  Keep it Moving: Fitness through Dance and Healthy Life Choices, keeps youth in the Nation’s Capitol engaged through dance empowerment sessions at schools and dance studios.

Nilah is a scholar, dancer, poet and actress. She is an honors student and rising junior at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School where she participates in the highly competitive International Baccalaureate ® Program. Nilah began her dance training at the internationally-recognized Jones Haywood School of Dance.

Upon graduating from high school in June 2018, Nilah plans to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance with a minor in communications. Her ultimate goal is to become a producer and choreographer, and eventually own her own production company.