The University of North Carolina at Asheville celebrates another year as Homecoming week revs up on campus.
As the campus community can join in on the festivities through many student-affiliated activities, one major tradition returns for another year. UNC Asheville just announced and selected six students to be on the Homecoming royal court for 2025.
“The applicants have to be juniors and seniors. Once they get selected, they once they go through their interview process, then they get selected to go through to Homecoming court – the top six. So once they reach the court, they campaign this week and can do so through social media or through flyers,” said Anna Claire Jackson, associate director of Highsmith Student Union and programming. “Then the campaigning can start on Tuesday the 11th.”
Jackson said that while there wasn’t a massive pool of students who applied to be on the Homecoming court, the campus community was still excited about who would be running during homecoming week.
She said the top three of the six are crowned the royal family for Homecoming 2025, which will be announced on Saturday.
The court includes Liv Barefoot, Sarah Booth, Arizona Hall, Owen James, Obianko Osaro, and Marcos Martinez Vidal.
Jackson said the application and interview process is easy, and any junior or senior student can apply online for the Homecoming royalty application.
She said once the application is complete, students follow through with an actual interview process, where the interview committee selects the students to be on the court based on a set list of criteria.
“The interview process was very engaging, and I enjoyed the chance to reflect and vocalize why I feel so connected to the UNC Asheville community. The questions I was asked made me think about all of the diverse ways in which our student body works to serve both their campus community and their wider communities,” said Owen James, senior candidate for Homecoming royalty.
Jackson said there are four areas in which students are scored: commitment to service, leadership, bulldog spirit and academic achievement. She said every student selected for Homecoming royalty this year showcased those qualities perfectly.
“Being a Bulldog means having school spirit, being involved in my community and pushing the school to meet our needs as students ideologically and in practice. It means holding hands with your sisters, engaging in service projects and fighting for representation for your peers on all public forums,” said Sarah Booth, senior candidate for Homecoming royalty.
Booth said campus involvement looks different for everyone, but making an effort to connect with others can help reduce the loneliness students often feel when arriving at a new school.
“Oh, and barking at basketball games. That is fun, too,” Booth said.
Jackson said the campus community has fostered the ongoing desire for a Homecoming court. She said the main reason why they keep the tradition around is because it has previously been up to the students’ preferences.
“I was mainly interested in running for Homecoming court to continue platforming student voices and to put myself out there in the interest of helping students get to know me better. This is so they hopefully feel more comfortable approaching me so I can best represent student interests in my role as Student Body President since this role is reliant on the power of collective student action,” said Liv Barefoot, junior candidate for Homecoming royalty.
Barefoot said she went through Homecoming royalty less for herself but more to show students they can do anything they strive for and take a stand even in the face of adversity.
“I expressed an interest in participating in Homecoming court due to my profound appreciation for my academic experience at the University of North Carolina at Asheville and my enthusiasm for being an integral member of the Asheville community,” said Obianko Osaro, senior candidate for Homecoming royalty.
Osaro said he wants to represent the school and the student body and foster a sense of belonging among the students.
“ I would say, just start by getting involved and getting a sense of your identity here at UNC Asheville because I think that what stands out in the interviews is how you have impacted this campus community, but also how the campus community had an impact on you. That’s why we select juniors and seniors in particular because we want to make sure, you know, those are usually hopefully, you know, later on in your career here as a student,” Jackson said.
Jackson said voting happens online, starting Feb. 12 at 8 a.m. and closing online on Feb. 14 at noon. Students can find the voting form on the Homecoming website.
