Saturday night’s Homecoming Ceremony at Estes Stadium was a dream come true for two members of the Alpha Sigma Tau sorority.
Senior Morgan Linn was named UCA’s 2011 Homecoming Queen.
Her maid of honor was fellow sorority member senior Amber Pawloski.
Pawloski said getting to share the moment with a sorority sister made the moment that much sweeter.
“When I was announced as maid of honor, I was excited because I was not expecting to win anything,” Pawloski said. “But to have a sorority sister, and a pledge sister at that, to win homecoming queen, I almost started to cry.”
Last year’s homecoming queen Stephanie Sanders crowned Linn as this year’s queen.
Linn said she was nervous before the announcement because of the honor that comes with being named homecoming queen.
She said she found it hard to believe it when she was announced the winner.
“My mouth literally dropped open,” Linn said. “All I could think was, ‘Is this really happening?’ I was so excited.”
Linn said any of the girls competing would have been a great choice for homecoming queen.
“I knew whoever won would be perfect, because we had a homecoming court full of great girls who are invloved on campus,” she said. “I did not expect to win, but I was happy when I did.”
Linn said it was fun to get to share the moment with her dad.
“He was so excited,” Linn said. “He is truly one of my best friends, and my biggest fan so I was not surprised at his reaction. He kept saying, ‘You did it. You did it.’ over and over again. I love making my parents proud and seeing him that happy was just the icing on the cake.”
Linn and Pawloski both said their favorite moment was when their fellow sorority sisters joined them on the field to celebrate.
“I’ll remember that moment the most when I look back on that night,” Linn said. “They greeted me laughing and yelling. They were so excited. I would not have been able to receive this honor without their constant love and support.”
Pawloski said it was an emotional moment for everyone when her sorority sisters joined her and Linn on the field.
“Even though they personally were not the ones who won, they were genuinely excited for me,” Pawloski said. “It was like their name had been called. I do not know where I would be without those girls.”
Pawloski said Linn was the most deserving person to win homecoming queen.
“No one deserves queen more than Morgan,” Pawloski said. “She is an amazing person inside and out. She cares about this university, but most of all she cares about the students. The fact I got to share this moment with her means the world to me. It’s a moment I will never forget.”
Linn said she has enjoyed her time at UCA tremendously and considers it an honor to represent the school as its homecoming queen.
“I have grown to love this campus so much and it has truly been a blessing in my life,” Linn said. “UCA has done so much for me. I am honored to represent this university I love so much.”
Linn is currently the president of the Alpha Sigma Tau sorority and a member of UCA Panhellenic Council and the UCA Leadership Council.
Linn is also currently a mentor for Choosing to Excel, which she has been since 2010. Linn was also a “Help Haiti Missionary” member.
The other nominees were: seniors Aeiress Duhart; Abbey Eckert; Beth Campbell; Ashley Fleener; Bridget Thomas and Amber Westbrook.
