By: Jasmine Gage, Writer
As the grass turns brown, and orange-colored leaves fill the ground, fall is officially taking place, and the one event everyone loves is finally here: Homecoming!
Homecoming is a yearly tradition where universities welcome the Alumni back to their college campus and celebrate with a football game or a week filled with activities! Here at McKendree University, we welcome back our Alumni, participate in a week filled with activities, and cheer on our own football team in one of the biggest games yet! As we celebrate these activities, we also cannot forget the reign of the Homecoming Court!
Students get the chance to compete against each other in a friendly campaign to earn the title of Homecoming Queen or Homecoming attendant here on campus! I have decided to interview each individual person and see their stance on competing in the 2022 Homecoming Court campaign!
2022 Homecoming Royal Court Interviews
Mackenzie R. Mendenhall
The first person I had the pleasure of interviewing is Mackenzie R. Mendenhall! Mackenzie is a junior, turning into a senior this upcoming spring, majoring in Biopsychology and minoring in communications at McKendree. She is a resident assistant for the McKendree West apartments, a member of the Social Justice & Equity Committee, a member of the Women’s Golf team, a member of Sigma Zeta Honor Society, a member of the Psychology club, and a member of Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society.
Here are the questions I asked Mackenzie and here are her responses from each question!
What made you want to participate in homecoming court?
“I wanted to participate in homecoming court to show the diversity among the court based on the multiple groups offered on campus here at McKendree. I also wanted to be a representation for the younger generation that anyone can be “a princess” in a sense despite what you are told. In high school, I was told I wasn’t really “court” material therefore, I never ran. While this is my last homecoming as a McKendree student, I thought now was the time to do so more than ever!”
Why do you believe you should win?
“I believe I should win to continue to develop the “McKendree One” as well as continue to help improve our campus and student body as a student body representative. I strive to continue to make a change and strive for all students to feel welcomed and accepted in becoming the individual they truly wish to be openly and nonjudgmentally.”
What events/activities do you have planned for your campaign that you wish to share?
“Regarding campaigning events, I haven’t really thought of any events or activities other than verbal campaigning as well as social media such as Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram.”
On a scale of 1-10, how confident are you in yourself that you will win?
“I would say a 6. I try not to be too confident and stay optimistic. Every individual has just as much of an opportunity as myself, therefore I see the voting as an open opportunity for the student body to have the real say in campus royalty, instead of seeing it as competition based.”
What encouraging words would you like to say to your competitors?
“I would like to congratulate my competitors for also making it on court and in the running for Queen. I also think regardless of who wins, we are a positive representation of our sponsored groups of the student body and should support one another regardless of who wins the “true” crown.”
What does winning this campaign mean to you?
“Winning this campaign to me I think goes back to what I previously stated in question one, for why I wanted to participate. Winning the campaign would show individuals that do what you think is best for yourself regardless of what others tell you, anyone can be royalty material.”
This concludes my interview with Mackenzie! Happy campaigning Mackenzie!
Unfortunately, I was unable to get an interview and pictures from Breanna Santel and Karlie Vogot, the other two students running for Queen. I wish each of the students running for Queen the best of luck! Happy campaigning to Breanna and Karlie!
2022 Homecoming Attendants Court
Kristin Munoz
The next person I had the pleasure of interviewing is Kristin Munoz! Kristin is a sophomore majoring in Elementary Education here at McKendree! She is a member of Black Student Organization (BSO) and her position is the Social Media Chair. She is also the Vice President of NACWC Elite, and a member of IEA, Illinois Education Association for the future of teachers in Illinois, where her position is also the Social Media Chair.
Here are the questions I asked Kristin and here are her responses from each one!
What made you want to participate in homecoming court?
“I have wanted to participate in the homecoming court since high school, but I heard I had to be an athlete to participate in the homecoming court. So, when I got to college, I wanted to try to run for homecoming!”
Why do you believe you should win?
“I think I should win because I want to help the community by helping my peers find their inner self. A lot of people go through different things that they don’t want to talk about so by making them feel recognized, it makes them feel like someone is there for them.”
What events/activities do you have planned for your campaign that you wish to share?
“I wanted to have a table filled with candy so everyone could grab a few pieces. The candy would have encouraging words because my slogan is “Finding Your Inner Self” and everyone needs encouragement to keep going in college.”
On a scale of 1-10, how confident are you in yourself that you will win?
“A 10.”
What encouraging words would you like to say to your competitors?
“Keep up the good work!”
What does winning this campaign mean to you?
“Winning this campaign will mean alot to me because I am the first person in my family to go to college, and I have always wanted this opportunity.”
This concludes my interview with Kristin! Happy campaigning Kristin!
Sadie Miyler
Another person I had the pleasure of interviewing is Sadie Miyler! Sadie is a sophomore majoring in Organizational Communications here at McKendree! She is one of the photographers for the McKendree Review, a paid intern at the Hett for photography, the Social Chair for Kappa Sigma Tau, and the co-captain for Color Guard.
Here are the questions I asked Sadie and here are her responses to each question!
What made you want to participate in homecoming court?
“I decided to run for homecoming attendant after my sorority sisters nominated me.”
Why do you believe you should win?
“I believe I should win because of the extra things I do around campus and how involved I already am, but I also think the other girls are just as involved as me so it’s going to be a close race. Being a homecoming attendant is not about who is a better person, it’s all about being a part of a community that means more than yourself.”
What events/activities do you have planned for your campaign that you wish to share?
“The only campaigning that we have all done is spreading the word via social media, text, or in our friend group. We didn’t really have a lot of time to campaign.”
On a scale of 1-10, how confident are you in yourself that you will win?
“On a scale of 1-10, I would give myself an 8 for the chance of winning.”
What encouraging words would you like to say to your competitors?
“To my competitors, I would like to say good luck and that winning this title means a lot to all of us. We are all rooting for each other.”
What does winning this campaign mean to you?
“Winning this campaign means that there are people who recognize how involved I am on campus and really want me to validate that with a vote.”
This concludes my interview with Sadie. Happy campaigning Sadie!
Unfortunately, I was unable to get an interview and picture from Emily Croxton, the other student running for Homecoming Attendant! I wish the student running for Homecoming Attendant the best of luck! Happy campaigning to Emily!
As the polls come to an end and the announcement will be made at the Homecoming Game this Saturday, I want to congratulate each and every single person on making the decision to join the Homecoming Court campaign in the first place! Whether you win or not, it’s not about the title that makes each of you special. All of you have dedicated your hearts and time to McKendree and I see this as a way of saying thank you for each of your commitments! At the end of the day, each of you has your own crown already sitting on your head regardless of what the polls say!
