Into the Spotlight
Alumnus and Meadows Executive Board member D.J. Pierce ’03 (a.k.a. “Shangela”) reflects on how his time at SMU prepared him for success as a drag entertainer, from attending the Academy Awards to the White House.
Fans of RuPaul’s Drag Race may recognize the infectiously joyous catchphrase “halleloo!” of Shangela, the drag alter ego of SMU alumnus D.J. Pierce, who has skyrocketed to international fame.
“I would say to the SMU younger version of myself, get there faster if you can, because you'll be a lot happier,” Pierce says. “Don’t ever feel like where you come from will dictate your ability to go wherever you want to go – it doesn’t matter how much money you have or the resources that you currently have for yourself.”
Becoming a celebrated drag queen has opened numerous doors for the multitalented entertainer. He’s appeared on two regular seasons of Drag Race and one all-star version, was the first male performer to be paired with a male dancer on Dancing With the Stars (they finished fourth), starred alongside Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper in the blockbuster movie A Star is Born, and has co-starred for three season on the HBO series We’re Here. In addition, he was the first drag queen to attend the Academy Awards, and he was invited by President Biden to attend the ceremony as the Respect for Marriage Act was signed into law last December. Pierce’s multifaceted act has taken him to six continents (Antarctica is next, he says), and he’ll be back to his old Dallas stomping grounds on Thursday, February 9 at the Majestic Theatre for a stop on his Fully Lit Tour.
“I’ve always wanted to be a person who could look back and say, wow, you know, I set my mind toward something, and I did it,” Pierce says. “And that’s why I'm so happy to be working in the entertainment field, not only in one particular facet, because my time at SMU was not on one particular track, either.”
Pierce’s love for SMU began during his eighth-grade year at a summer talented and gifted program, which he attended after earning a scholarship at the urging of his guidance counselor.
“That was the first time I was away from home,” he says. “Living on campus and being with such a diverse and amazing group of friends with the backdrop of SMU, it just inspired me so much when it came time for college.”
Pierce attended the summer program until he aged out, but he knew he’d return as an undergrad. As an undergrad, Pierce was a Hunt Scholar, a Hilltop Senator, chair of the entertainment committee for the SMU Program Council, an M Award recipient and a member of The Association of Black Students. These achievements all led to the moment he earned a degree in corporate communications in 2003, graduating with honors.
Today, Pierce reflects fondly on his time at SMU and gives back to his alma mater whenever possible. In 2021, he performed professionally on the Hilltop for the first time during 2021’s LGBTQ Symposium, and he currently serves on the Meadows School of the Arts Executive Board. If he could do things all over again, he’d give his younger self the same advice he now offers to current and future SMU students: “Don’t be afraid to live out loud,” adding that he built a lot of walls around himself that slowly came down as he became more comfortable in his own skin during his time at SMU.
“I would say to the SMU younger version of myself, get there faster if you can, because you'll be a lot happier,” Pierce says. “Don’t ever feel like where you come from will dictate your ability to go wherever you want to go – it doesn’t matter how much money you have or the resources that you currently have for yourself.”
He advises students there are always great opportunities if they simply seek them out. Great people are around who will be willing to help, as long as students are willing to admit they need help, he says. Yet even though he might have done things a bit differently in hindsight, he has no regrets about his journey so far.
“Everything I’ve gone through in life has brought me to this moment, and I’m so very happy in this moment,” he says.