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Sydney Thurman-Baldwin had no idea she’d be crowned queen of the 46th Debutante Ball put on by Beta Rho Sigma alumnae chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho sorority, and the delight that she showed when Gretta Burroughs called her name made a night dedicated to pride in accomplishment all the more special.

Thurman-Baldwin, who graduates Tuesday from Kent Denver School, plans to earn degrees in medicine and international business from Emory University in Atlanta. Her goal is to become a pediatric neurologist practicing worldwide with an organization like Doctors Without Borders.

“I like sports and being active … things that aren’t necessarily associated with dressing up and being lady-like,” she confessed. “So being a deb, wearing pearls and gloves, and receiving special honor, is really exciting.”

Thurman-Baldwin, daughter of Beverly Thurman-Baldwin, was one of 10 young ladies introduced by emcees Dan and Patricia Raybon at the black-tie dinner held last Sunday at the Hyatt Regency Tech Center.

Others making their debut were Larissa Borne, Shakiyla Clayburn, Jibrail Dibble, Lauren Hadnot-Felker, LaQurrie McGee, Ruby Robinson, Kayla Fisher-Taylor, Anjuli Tuck and Brionne Wright.

Tuck, a graduate of Denver School of Science and Technology, is one of the 1,000 students from 45 states, the District of Columbia and three U.S. territories chosen to receive a Gates Millennium Scholarship. She also won the chapter’s essay contest and says she plans to “become one of the (world’s) few African-American archaeologists.”

Fisher-Taylor, of Martin Luther King Early College High School, was named Debutante of the Year; Robinson’s 4.2 grade-point average at Smoky Hill High School earned her the Scholastic Achievement Award; McGee, who was a varsity cheerleader and member of Overland High School’s track team, was crowned Miss Congeniality; and, with 280 hours to her credit, Montbello High’s Hadnot-Felker led the debutante class in community service fulfillment.

As meaningful as the ball is for the debutantes, it’s also a time of reflection for their families.

“I was just thinking back to when she was a little girl, riding on my shoulders and calling me Poppy,” mused Richard Clayburn Sr., grandfather of deb Shakiyla Clayburn, a graduate of Smoky Hill High who will be attending Tuskegee University. “She asked me to present her tonight, and I’m honored to do so.”

For Brionne Wright, the ball validated the focus she maintained to excel as a singer, pianist and saxophone player, and gave her the confidence to make friends outside her immediate circle at Grandview High School. And making more new friends is something she’ll do a lot of come fall when she enrolls at Berklee College of Music in Boston.

“The skills we teach our debs — etiquette, communication, image — are things that will serve them well as they enter college and prepare for their future,” says Elma Joyce Hairston, the basileus (president) of Beta Rho Sigma chapter. “The choices they make will be the catalysts that drive their success, and the members of Sigma Gamma Rho are proud to think that we’ve helped steer them in a positive direction.”

Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com; also, and GetItWrite on Twitter