Meet your 2012 Homecoming Court

Jessica said her favorite Homecoming memory is “The Homecoming Parade, of course! In the beginning of my sophomore year, I was in the Homecoming Parade as the Vice President for the Downtown Phoenix Campus’ undergraduate student government (ASASUD), and while waiting to sit atop the flashy convertible Mustang, I snuck a peek of the Homecoming Court royalty. My casual glance quickly turned into a shameless gawk – I was enamored with how the royalty seemed to have successfully and seamlessly woven themselves into the fabrics of everything that is Arizona State University. In that moment of frank adoration and admiration, I knew my roles within the university up to that point had been even more significant than I initially thought. “

When asked why she chose to become a Sun Devil, Jessica replied “My decision to become a Sun Devil was not a choice but a reaction upon touring ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. I immediately became enamored by the prestige and opulence of the curriculum and facilities. As a renowned paradigm representing the nation’s largest public university, the Cronkite School also stole my heart with its residence on the Downtown Phoenix Campus. The idea of earning a degree while having the city as my playground was something I couldn’t pass up. A Phoenix local like myself knew that my college experience would be best served a half-hour away from my parents in an innate Sun Devil environment fostered within the Downtown Phoenix Community.”

When asked how she demonstrates her Sun Devil spirit, pride, and tradition, Jessica replied with “Collectively, spirit, pride and tradition embody the essence of everything I am as an Arizona State University student. A means of seeking connectedness and institutional devotion, spirit, pride and tradition are avenues that raise the quality of student life. They are infectious and thus incite the building of a community. This is what I love about embedding my spirit, pride and tradition into everything I do, ranging from donning a fabulous collection of gold t-shirts to being a student leader on various campus and university fronts. I bleed maroon and gold not because someone tells me to, but because it is a part of my identity as a Sun Devil. It is rewarding to have deep love, affection and dedication to my university, and via my innate spirit, pride and tradition I have developed an emotional connection to ASU. GO DEVILS!”

Kayla says her favorite Homecoming Memory is, “My favorite Sun Devil Homecoming memory was building the Tech House float from last year! It was a labor of love; quite literally we spent hours the night before finishing our float! That following day we woke up early drove it to the parade and we lost pieces along the way; but somehow we were able to make it work. It turned out to be such a fun project and I was able to work with so many of my classmates and friends on something that represented our college to a “T.””

When asked why she chose to become a Sun Devil, Kayla responded with “I chose to become a Sun Devil because it was the perfect place for me to launch myself into making the global impact I want to see. For me being a Sun Devil gave me an opportunity to explore options, truly find out who I am, and what I want to do with my talents!”

Kayla demonstrates her Sun Devil spirit, pride, and tradition by stating, “Spirit is what you show on the outside; for me that means wearing gold on Fridays, even when I’m on vacation. It’s the lost voice after a football game that shows you truly cheered your team on! Pride is that feeling you get inside; I feel it anytime I see that amazing things were doing as a community, and the real difference we’re making. Lastly traditions are what we experience; I’ve made my way to whitewash the “A”, enjoyed plenty of athletics, and along with creating few of my own traditions like impromptu cooking club and working with Girl Scouts! Sun Devil spirit, pride and tradition is about showing others why you are so excited to be a Sun Devil and why they should be one too.”

When asked why Danielle chose to become a Sun Devil, she stated, “When I was searching for colleges my senior year of high school, I came across information for ASU and the new state-of-the-art Cronkite School. After being offered a generous four-year scholarship and being admitted into Cronkite and Barrett, the Honors College, which gave me the opportunity to enroll in a combined Bachelor and Master’s program, I knew ASU was the place for me! I first visited the Downtown campus for my orientation and fell in love with it immediately. I love being in the middle of an urban environment and a close-knit campus, while still being able to access all the great things ASU has to offer around the valley.”

Danielle stated that she shows her Sun Devil spirit, pride, and tradition by, “Spirit, pride and tradition is living the Sun Devil Way. While I never miss a home football game and never ever forget to wear gold on Fridays, I consider my academic achievements another way of showing my Sun Devil Pride.

As Senior Community Assistant on the Downtown Phoenix Campus, one of my main roles is to come up with innovative ways to instill this sense of spirit, pride and tradition in our residents. After brainstorming with other Community Assistants, student leaders and our Associate Dean of Students last semester, I constructed the Downtown campus' newest tradition. Devil Yell is held around 10 pm in the Taylor Place dining hall the night before every home football game. Our CA staff gets together to bring take photos, play music, and most importantly, sing the fight song with our residents. Being instrumental in creating this experience for our newest Sun Devils and seeing their faces light up as they chanted the fight song together made me so proud to be a Sun Devil. Creating a tradition based on simply being proud to be a Sun Devil at the country's largest university is certainly exhilarating. Knowing the tradition I started has had an impact on the way students view spirit, pride and tradition at ASU is priceless.”

When asked what her favorite Sun Devil Homecoming memory was, Melvina replied, “My favorite Sun Devil Homecoming Memory would be last year’s Homecoming game against Colorado. This was my favorite because I had the opportunity to see past, present, and future Sun Devils.

Melvina said that she chose to become a Sun Devil because, “because I believed that Arizona State University offered me the best opportunity to succeed as a student and as an individual.”

When asked how she shows her Sun Devil spirit, pride, and tradition, Melvina stated. “I show my Sun Devil spirit, pride, and tradition through my campus involvement, working with my student organization, encouraging others to get involved, and I support the ASU tradition of wearing gold on Friday’s.”

Mariah said that her favorite Homecoming memory is “Watching everyone at the Parade and of course the football game!”

When asked how Mariah shows her Sun Devil spirit, pride, and tradition, she responded with, “At Arizona State University, the student body is more close-knit than just about any school I’ve seen. It’s a family-type deal; especially at the Polytechnic campus, you don’t feel like you’re at a school of 75,000 people. The culture. The tradition. The history. It all combines to form something special, something that lets you know that no matter what, you’ll always be a Sun Devil and ASU Polytechnic campus will always be home. I show my Sun Devil spirit pride and tradition by having the faith to succeed and be the best innovators and makers; that’s true spirit. It’s wearing a gold shirt every Friday to represent school pride. It’s going to the football games to be part of tradition. Spirit, Pride and Tradition are three words that make me proud to be a Sun Devil. It’s those words that make ASU be ASU!”

Photo Credit to Chad Westover

Sebastian said that his favorite Sun Devil Homecoming memory was “was being able to take part in the Homecoming Parade last year! My Leadership Scholarship Program Cohort made a small float and had the opportunity to walk on University and wave to thousands of people! It was very exciting and thrilling to see so many Sun Devil fans in one place, taking part in such a great tradition!”

Sebastian chose to become a Sun Devil because “One of the first reasons I decided to become a Sun Devil was because of their nationally ranked Supply Chain Management program and business school. Through the classes and staff to assist me, I have been able to continually work towards developing myself into a young business professional which has led me to obtaining some great opportunities! Also, I knew becoming a Sun Devil would give me the courage to exercise my leadership and step outside my comfort zone. I was blessed to become President of the Business School Council as a sophomore and fulfill our purpose to act as the student council of W.P. Carey and all of its students. Hands down, my decision to become a Sun Devil has been one of the best and most rewarding decisions I have ever made in my life!”

Sebastian demonstrates his spirit, pride, and tradition by “One of the top ways that I show my Sun Devil spirit, pride and tradition is taking advantage of everything this wonderful school has to offer me! YOU HAVE TO HAVE FUN IN COLLEGE! These new experiences can potentially lead to some of your best memories in college and life. I can tell you that one of my favorite memories is the Fall Welcome Week of my freshman year! On top of this tradition there are the Football games, Homecoming, Devilpalooza, (even the new ones) Devils on Mill and more! Showing my spirit, pride and tradition through these activities are what make me feel that I actually belong to such a big and amazing community that is ASU!”

Jason’s favorite Sun Devil Homecoming memory includes, “The Lantern Walk is my favorite Homecoming tradition. A-Mountain is one of my favorite vantage points since I was a kid. Having climbed it too many time to count, the first time I experienced the Lantern Walk, it made that hike an entirely new experience. I felt connected, I felt part of a greater idea, and I felt what it truly meant to be a Sun Devil. Now, I get to experience it again, as a familiar first. What I mean by familiar first is: A-Mountain is a familiar comfortable vantage point for me. But this time will be the first time I make this hike with deference for my fellow Sun Devils for selecting me as one of their many outstanding student leaders. I’m excited to deepen my connection to this tradition and honored to be part of the Golden Decade Court.”

When asked why he chose to become a Sun Devil, Jason responded, “My main reason for becoming a Sun Devil, I thought, was to make connections to a University that could give me the opportunities to fulfill my goals. However, by embracing Sun Devil spirit, pride, and traditions has given me more than expected. It’s produced within me a ‘devil may care’ determination, tempered by ‘devil may cry’ perseverance in advocating and assisting my fellow Sun Devil’s to achieve their goals-together, devils do more.”

Jason shows his spirit, pride, and tradition by, “I show spirit in the activities I participate in, and foster that spirit through collaboration within organizations like GPSA, the UTO, Sun Devil Coalition, and the Campus Environment Team. I show my pride in maintaining a standard of excellence in my academics, ethics, and commitment to my community of peers, professors, and peoples. And I honor tradition by participating and being an example to the new, now and next student leaders that will replace me and carry on the traditions I performed and new traditions that are in the making.”

When asked what her favorite Sun Devil Homecoming memory, Natasha responded with “My favorite Sun Devil Homecoming memory would have to be last year’s Homecoming Parade. Kappa Alpha Theta was paired with Lambda Chi Alpha for Homecoming Week and we had been working on our Homecoming float for a couple weeks. I have a lot of great memories just from float building with my sisters and the men of Lambda Chi Alpha, but the best moment was when those that had been involved in building the float got the opportunity to actually be part of the parade. Riding along University Boulevard with my sisters all wearing gold, singing our songs, chanting the ASU chant, throwing up our Pitchforks and getting the crowd excited was unforgettable. One of the reasons that I fell in love with Arizona State University its energy and spirit, and Homecoming is the time that this energy and spirit is most evident. Getting to be a part of the Homecoming Parade and experiencing that passion and energy every single one of us has for ASU was really amazing.”

Natasha said that she chose to become a Sun Devil because, “I grew up in Wildcat country. Both my mom and my sister attended the University of Arizona. Needless to say, when it came time for me to apply to colleges I never thought that I would attend Arizona State University. But when I came to visit, that all changed. I fell in love with ASU- with its vibrant campus, its energy, its spirit and its diversity. I was impressed with ASU’s numerous academic programs, study abroad and research opportunities, the 600 plus clubs and organizations, and everything else ASU had to offer. After we completed our tour and visited ASU’s prestigious Barrett Honors College, I marched to the ASU Bookstore, bought myself a gold shirt and broke my mom the news that I was a Sun Devil at heart. Now that this is my third year at ASU, I have to say that coming here was one of the best decisions I have ever made. ASU has given me a lot of incredible opportunities and allowed for me to meet people that have inspired me.”

Natasha shows her spirit, pride, and tradition in these ways. “I show my Sun Devil spirit, pride and tradition by wearing my maroon and gold with pride, tailgating, singing the fight song and holding my pitchfork high. By attending football and basketball games, and in general by always supporting my school. But more than that, I’ve shown my Sun Devil spirit, pride and tradition by integrating myself into my university, getting involved in the ASU community, participating in Homecoming Week, attending ASU events, going Greek, and taking advantage of the numerous opportunities that ASU has to offer. “