London Nikol Keiler (right) is the 2024 Queen of Soul and a member of this year’s Fiesta San Antonio royalty.
APRIL 26, 2024 — Sometimes, getting something done means breaking out of your comfort zone.
Just ask London Nikol Keiler, the 2024 Queen of Soul and a member of this year’s Fiesta San Antonio royalty. The UTSA student is majoring in biology and currently completing her sophomore year.
Encouraged by her mom, among others, to compete for Queen of Soul, this self-proclaimed introvert is using her platform to advance her long-term goal of advancing health care access among the Alamo City’s residents.
Strategic alliances, she says, are key to moving that work forward.
“In San Antonio, we have a gap between the residents and access to health care,” said Keiler, adding that with the Queen of Soul crown comes the ability to network with other members of Fiesta’s royal court. “Lucky for me, this year, there are a lot of doctors and physicians on the royal court.”
Keiler said these connections could bolster her plans to bring health care to the community. She’s especially focused on residents who do not have access to a car or telehealth service.
Keiler’s platform is closely aligned to her long-term goals for Queen of Soul Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering the educational goals of African American women in greater San Antonio.
As the 2024 Queen of Soul, Keiler has talked with many children around San Antonio this spring about her royal role. They've all been pretty excited to meet her.
“Queen of Soul is about helping African American girls,” she said. “But I had a specific goal in mind, to increase our representation far beyond where it is now. I want to make sure we’re pushing the envelope.”
It’s hard to believe that just a few years ago London’s older brothers were advising her to meet others.
“Before I came to college, they were telling me, ‘Londy, you gotta get out of your shell. You have to network,’” Keiler recalled.
Girls vying for the Queen of Soul crown start preparing in mid-November. The next eight weeks include training in various areas, including personal etiquette and money-management courses. After winning the Queen of Soul Scholarship pageant in January, Keiler was officially crowned Miss Queen of Soul.
“I’m definitely going to take advantage of this opportunity.”
Keiler, a biology major with a pre-med concentration, said she was in eighth grade when she became interested in health care — thanks, in part, to learning about Health Careers High School. She graduated from the North Side magnet school in 2022.
Once enrolled in the biology program at the UTSA College of Sciences, her next step was finding a specialty.
A doctor’s appointment set her on the path to become an orthopedic surgeon.
“It was perfect timing, I had gone to my doctor’s office, and they told me I had scoliosis,” recalled Keiler, adding that with ensuing appointments in this section of the hospital, she grew to love the environment. “Being in that area of the hospital, it caught my eye. It seemed really fun and interesting to me.”
Keiler’s scoliosis is mild. She does not have pain on a day-to-day basis. Seeing the pain of others who suffer from the condition, however, is what drives her professional ambitions.
“Seeing other patients who have it worse than me,” she said, “I want to be able to help them get their lives back and ease that pain.”
As Keiler reflects on her platform, she’s also enjoying the revelry of Fiesta.
“This is my first actual Fiesta, so I’m looking forward to everything,” said Keiler, who recalled the Texas Cavaliers River Parade that took part at the beginning of Fiesta. “That was really, really fun, kind of like the opening ceremony. Anything that’s about being out there with the community I like the most.”
So what about her shoes? Heels are part of Keiler’s attire as Queen. She also has a pair of cowboy boots and a pair of “blinged out” white Converse.
Once Fiesta concludes, Keiler will have a new networking project to take on: serving as the health liaison for the Black Health Professionals Student Organization at UTSA. Her role will include bringing in professionals to participate on panels and to speak with fellow members — something this introvert is becoming more comfortable with each day.
“It’s okay to get out of your comfort zone. Just keep trying new things and put yourself out there,” she said. “You’ve got this; you’re great — that’s my little go-to phrase.”
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