This year, Illinois State continued its homecoming tradition by crowning a new homecoming king and queen. Jason Swift and Ashley Torri were announced as the 2014 Homecoming royalty and Her Campus got the opportunity to hear about their awesome experience!
Jason Swift is a junior who is a member of the Delta Chi fraternity where he currently serves as the President. He is also the Executive Director for the Student Government Association. He spends his summers working as a Preview Guide with University College and volunteering as a member of the University Hearing Panel for Community Rights and Responsibilities office.
Jason Swift: A few friends first recommended me to homecoming court last year and after I heard I had been nominated this year, I decided it would be cool to apply and give it a shot! I had no idea what to expect but the experience was great. All of the applicants at the interviews were incredible student leaders with immersing stories that really captured my attention. After meeting so many involved students, I was hooked and was fortunate enough to be chosen to be a part of court.
Ashley Torri is a senior who is involved in a variety of organizations on campus. Some of those include the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority, Delta Sigma Pi Professional Business Fraternity, and Business Week. She is also an Undergraduate Assistant for the Honors Program and President of ISU Society for Human Resource Management.
Ashley Torri: I was nominated for homecoming court by my sorority, Alpha Gamma Delta, and was selected to continue on with the application process hosted by the Alumni Center. I was so honored to be nominated and loved meeting everyone throughout the process!
Jason and Ashley got to be apart of many different events on campus during homecoming week, but each of them had a particular favorite.
JS: The morning of the parade was the most memorable experience. Meeting the young kids who got chosen for homecoming prince and princess was adorable. The parade itself was incredible, being such a focal point of the parade let the Queen and I see all our family and friends and get the community pumped for the homecoming game!
AT: My favorite experience as homecoming queen was definitely participating in the homecoming parade and the football game. It was great to see everything in a whole new way than before. I also loved meeting alumni and faculty members at the football game and homecoming week events.
As you can see, Jason and Ashley had such a great time being on homecoming royalty and now challenge YOU to think about running for court!
JS: I would definitely recommend people to run for court! It’s a powerful experience that can really only be seen if you become a part of it. If you need a nomination for next year, come find me!
AT: Being on Homecoming court has been one of my favorite experiences while attending Illinois State. It’s a great opportunity to show your ISU pride and to serve as a positive role model for the community.
JS: Every person on royalty was a king and queen in my eyes; they all had such great personalities and were incredibly passionate about different causes in very similar way!