Before Terrell Atkins arrived on the University of Mississippi campus, up until the moment he launched his campaign, he never thought he would run for, much less be crowned, Homecoming King.
“I probably would have cringed at the idea four years ago; the thought before would have made me so uncomfortable,” Atkins, a senior integrated marketing communications major, said. “I definitely would still be doubting myself if I didn’t have a cool group of core people to push me when I need to reach my full potential.”
When Atkins announced he was running for Homecoming King on Instagram, he concluded the post with a message he held near and dear at the core of his campaign: “Let’s do this together.”
Atkins acknowledged that his campaign would not have been possible without the support of the people he calls his “found family.”
“I included ‘Let’s do this together’ in the caption because I would not have been able to do any of this on my own,” Atkins said. “I have to do it with everyone that’s actively choosing to support me, which I’m eternally grateful for.”
The Amory, Miss., native never expected to attend UM; in fact, the new Homecoming King had aspirations of going to school in the Northeast, specifically New York University to “live the Rachel Berry dream.” However, Atkins took one step into Oxford and onto campus and fell in love.
Since enrolling at the university, Atkins has become heavily involved on campus. He has served as an Ole Miss ambassador and as an orientation leader, and it is through this involvement that he was able to find his footing on campus.
“I have been (an orientation leader) since my sophomore year, and this experience has been the biggest help in viewing Ole Miss as home,” Atkins said.
Atkins cherishes the opportunity to be the liaison between prospective students and the university and to be able to answer the question, “What’s your why?”
“Just by telling my experience, I feel like that’s what people are looking for when they come here. That’s why they want to hear from a student because they want to know what’s your why,” Atkins said. “(Prospective students) can hear from someone who gets paid to give the gist of why they should come here, but actually listening to someone who probably wasn’t going to come here, and then fall in love, makes them excited.”
When Atkins was gearing up for his campaign, and it came time to select a slogan, he landed on the phrase “Terrell For King.” These three words may seem simple and to the point, which is exactly what Atkins was going for. His goal was authenticity, without gimmicks.
“I didn’t want to do some of the things we’ve seen before,” Atkins said. “If I was going to run, I needed to enjoy it and think it’s cool and interesting and fun and true to me.”
This campaign was a product forged in joy for Atkins, a time for him to celebrate the university and its community for the impact it has had on him.
“I wanted the campaign to be a celebration because Homecoming is fun, like in high school, Homecoming week happens, and it’s fun and it’s full of spirit and pride for one’s school, and that’s something we all carry with us every day,” Atkins said.
Atkins was the only official name on the ballot for Homecoming King, but there was an option for students to offer write-in candidates.
He admitted that, even though he ran unopposed, he was nervous and unsure — and those feelings persisted throughout the campaign until his name was announced in front of the Lyceum.
“To hear my name being called, it just solidified in that moment how much of an honor it was,” Atkins said. “It’s so easy to get imposter syndrome and feel like you don’t belong in the space that you are in, but just having all those people there assuring me that I deserve this was amazing.”
When asked to describe himself, Atkins shared why he believes he was the perfect choice for Homecoming King.
“I think that I’m someone who has compassion and authenticity that is highly evident and contagious, and I think that when people meet me, they see a little bit of themselves in me,” Atkins said. “I think whenever people met me through this campaign, they were able to see how that spirit is able to display and reflect all the heartbeats of every student on campus.”
There is a laundry list of things that could excite someone who is crowned Homecoming King: hearing their name officially announced, the recognition, the ensuing football game and Homecoming celebration, the relief that the campaign is over and the photo shoot opportunities — all of which Atkins has or will experience in his new role.
The crowned king, however, could not help but feel giddy about the Homecoming parade. When asked what excites him most about being Homecoming King, Atkins paused, giggled and brought forth a candid answer.
“I’m so excited for the parade. This is so niche and random, but I’ve always wanted to be on a parade float,” Atkins said. “I feel like you always go to a parade, you see people throwing candy or whatever, and every time I saw a parade I was like, ‘I could do that, that would be so much fun.’”
Through all the thrill of campaigning and winning Homecoming King, Atkins grounded himself and acknowledged that the honor is no small feat.
He reflected on his time at the university — his freshman year orientation, becoming an orientation leader himself, meeting his found family, the ups, the downs, the aced exams and even the not-so-good grades — and he shared what he wanted his legacy at UM to be.
“I just want people to be like, ‘Wow, that’s someone I’ll simply never forget,’” Atkins said. “I just want to be remembered as a light on campus and a light that will continue to spread.”
Atkins began and ended his campaign with a simple message to a community that has left a lasting impact on his life.
In his initial Instagram announcement, Atkins wrote the following:
“I’ve grown within the Ole Miss community more than I could have ever imagined. Eventually, Oxford became home, Ole Miss became family and Mississippi became something I wanted to celebrate instead of escape from. The community I’ve found here has made this place even more special to me, and in return, I’ve tried to make it feel special for others, too.”
