As everyone knows, one of the main parts of any Homecoming is the royalty. People running for the title of Homecoming King and Homecoming Queen and walking out on the football field in nice attire. But what makes someone want to participate in this? What thought process does that fall under? This year, Southwestern State Oklahoma State University’s Homecoming Court is taken by a wide range of individuals from many different organizations, including the Student Government Association (SGA) and the Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM.)
One BCM representative, Bella Butcher, said, “Scott and Taryn, the BCM Directors asked me to be their representative and I was honored because I love everything it stands for!” The second BCM representative, John Elam, said, “I was honored to have the chance to represent the BCM as a candidate. I could not pass up a chance to take part in this long-standing tradition.” Residence Life and Housing (Reslife) representative, Carlie McKinnon, said, “I decided to run because I love SWOSU and have been blessed with so many opportunities thanks to Reslife, so I wanted to represent them! Last year’s Homecoming was so exciting and I jumped at the opportunity to be a part of the fun this year!” Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) representative, Jaxson Billingsley, said, “I ran for homecoming court because both of my brothers attended SWOSU and people only know me because of them, so I want to make a name for myself not through my brothers.” Sigma Phi Lambda (Phi Lamb) representative, Audrey Boyd, said, “I wanted to run for the experience! I love SWOSU so much and want to have even more amazing memories of my time here!” SGA representative, Landry Freeman, said, “I was primarily inspired to run for Homecoming Court by my friends and family. They have always encouraged me to dream big, and work hard to accomplish my goals. Running for Homecoming King was one of those goals.”
Obviously, there are some highs and lows about something like running for Homecoming Court, but all the candidates have had their favorite parts so far. Butcher said her favorite parts have been “getting to know the other candidates more and having people I didn’t even realize knew who I was come up to me and talk to me about it!” Elam said interacting with the other candidates has been awesome. “The whole experience has strengthened my own sense of community here at SWOSU.” McKinnon said “my favorite part so far was campaigning! It was so fun to get creative and interact with so many who have a passion for SWOSU! But, all of it has been a blast!” Billingsley said, “my favorite part has been the campaigning and getting to make the posters and the Instagram post has really helped me through the process and it was really fun.” Boyd said, “I’ve enjoyed getting to grow friendships with some of the other girls running that I hadn’t ever talked to before. I mean, we were all going through this experience together.” Freeman said, “my favorite part of the process has been campaigning. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to spread the word about myself and other candidates that I know well.”
Obviously, Homecoming means many different things to many different people and everyone who runs for Court hopes to leave something behind, whether they win or not. Butcher says, “I hope to be a light to everyone on our campus, both students and faculty, making everyone here at SWOSU feel loved and welcomed here at SWOSU!” Elam says, “above all, I want to represent Christ well. From there, I hope to make both the students, faculty, and alumni proud as a SWOSU homecoming candidate.” McKinnon says, “I hope to encourage more students to get involved! We only have a few short years here and why not have some fun?! I wouldn’t be who I am without those I have met during my time at SWOSU and in Reslife… this is for them!” Billingsley says, “I hope that people can see my love for Christ through me being a homecoming candidate and maybe come to know Christ.” Boyd says, “I am involved in a lot of things on campus and that is what helped me love SWOSU so much. I hope by being a Homecoming Candidate, I can show others at SWOSU that getting involved makes your experience so much better!” Freeman says, “as a 2024 SWOSU Homecoming candidate, I hope to inspire other students to get more involved on campus. Increasing student participation in events on campus would help provide everyone with a better college experience.”
It seems like the general consensus among these candidates is student engagement across the board. Make sure to come see these candidates and watch the crowning ceremony on the Flex Chem Field at Milam Stadium at 2:00 pm before the big game on October 26th, 2024. Happy homecoming weekend, dawgs!
