Today@Sam Article

Meet The 2024 Homecoming King And Queen

Oct. 23, 2024
SHSU Media Contact: Mikah Boyd

By Damikka Willis

On Sept. 21, Sam Houston State University crowned new royalty as part of this year’s homecoming celebration of 100 Years of Orange and White. Leading up to the crowning of the new king and queen, all of the candidates were involved with SHSU traditions, including the homecoming parade, banner competition and the Sam Jam Carnival, where the top six homecoming court candidates were announced. The top three kings were Nehemiah Oliphant, Andre Hagans and Joaquin Padron, and the queen candidates were Valeria Aguilar, Jackelin Balbuena and Kaci Rowe.

To receive the crown, participants must be a junior or senior, have above a 2.5 GPA, be enrolled in at least six credit hours of classes and attend a mandatory meeting two weeks before homecoming. After the candidates were chosen, Campus Activities and Traditions took their headshots, which were then sent out on an internal ballot for every SHSU student to cast their vote.

“This opportunity gives students something to run for and be passionate about. It emphasizes our Bearkat leaders even more,” said Director of Campus Activities and Traditions Breanna Dotson. “Not only do they feel a sense of belonging in their campus community, I think students really value being a part of that piece of tradition.”

Kaci Rowe and Andre Hagans were officially crowned homecoming queen and king during the halftime show at SHSU’s Saturday night game.

"When I heard them say the runner up before me, I was like, are you serious?” Rowe said. “People throughout the week were trying to tell me, ‘You got it in the bag,’ but I’m very much that girl who doesn’t think that way.”

As part of her marketing strategy, she used the slogan “Kaci Rowe is the way to go,” which was the slogan she had used to run for her fifth-grade student council position and decided to use the catchphrase for her homecoming queen campaign.

Rowe's decision to attend SHSU was influenced by witnessing the love and community that the college offered. She was also influenced by her older sisters' experience as alumni of both Sam Houston and Soul Lifters, a faith-based campus organization that shares its message through song.

Once she arrived on campus, Rowe joined of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated, Lambda Eta chapter. She is the current president of SHSU’s National Pan-Hellenic Council as well as the founder and president of Pretty Hot and Thick. The organization is catered towards plus-sized students, but is about self-love, self-confidence and self-comfortability.

“I didn’t go into this school year thinking that I would run for homecoming queen with the intention to win, or that I was even capable of winning,” said Rowe. “I’ve been doing things every year, and while I haven't been looking for recognition, it does feel nice that after these three years, all the work that I've put in is being acknowledged. So, I want to say thank you to everyone for that.”

The homecoming king is also active on campus. Hagans is the current president of Theta Mu Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. and a member of both the National Society of Black Engineers and the African Student Association.

“I just wanted to show that anybody can do it,” said Hagans. “Especially being a person of color, I wanted to just face the challenge straight on and show that we can do it too.”

Amid recent family members’ passing, the Hagans family had a moment of triumph due to his homecoming king victory.

“To win the crown gave our family a moment of happiness, especially with my parents being Sam Houston alumni, it felt like a light bulb came on,” said Hagans. “I was just happy to make my family proud.”

After crowning this year's royalty, the Bearkat football team fought hard in the second half, eventually leading to a 31-11 victory over the New Mexico State Aggies in the Conference USA season opener.

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