@State Nov. 2013 - Homecoming King and Queen

Homecoming King and Queen Work Together to Empower Youth

The “Battle of the Oil Can” Homecoming football game may not have ended in our favor, but San Diego State University seniors Jordan Harrison and Sonia Holzman have plenty to celebrate following their crowning as this year’s Homecoming King and Queen.

Harrison, SDSU chapter president of the American Marketing Association, and Holzman, SDSU chapter vice president of the American Sign Language Club, were each nominated this semester by their respective organizations as potential members of the 2013 Homecoming court.

Although they each manage demanding calendars and balance a long list of extracurricular activities (both have formed nonprofits in addition to their roles as student organization officers) with full time academic coursework, neither expected to add Homecoming royalty to their resumes.

“I didn’t start at SDSU. I’ve hopped around a bunch,” Holzman said. “So finding a school that I really loved has been amazing in and of itself. Then being able to represent my school in this way is something I never thought of, especially as a transfer student.”

The pair first met each other in the Homecoming group interviews conducted by a faculty and staff-led selection committee, and when their names were announced during the halftime ceremony, they each described fleeting moments of excitement, surprise, and honor.

“I had been rooting for Jordan, so I was so happy to hear his name, and they said my name so fast after his, I felt like ‘what just happened?’” Holzman said.

With the responsibilities of Homecoming Court behind them, they’ll get to work this week brainstorming ideas for a spring community service project that combines Holzman’s passion for deaf education and Harrison’s dedication to encouraging disadvantaged youth to reach their full potential.

“Everybody has that perception of Homecoming as a popularity contest, but not at State,” Harrison said. “It’s really different and more about giving back to the campus than anything else.”

While Holzman and Harrison have the remainder of the semester to work through the details of their community service project, they said they are bouncing around the idea of using current SDSU students as catalysts for inspiration among high school students. Holzman is also hoping to incorporate sign language into the project through a music and poetry show centered on SDSU’s “I Believe” mantra.

Adding the community service project to an already robust agenda of leadership activities may sound like an intense undertaking, but according to Holzman and Harrison, it’s just another enjoyable experience on the road to graduation.

“I’m may not be getting as much sleep as I should, but I really feel like college is a pivotal time in anyone’s career and lifetime, so I’m really trying to do as much as I can and get as involved as I can,” Harrison said.