Mr. Ole Miss: Harrison Foxworth
What does Mr. Ole Miss mean to you?
A: Mr. Ole Miss means everything to me. Ole Miss has been at my core for all of my life, and getting to live out my four years here truly is a lifelong culmination of a love for a university that means so much to our state, our town and to so many just like myself. Earning the title of Mr. Ole Miss will be something I hold onto for all of my days. It is my hope and goal to continue to live out all of the values that the university upholds and to continue to be a servant leader for this university in all of my actions.
What were the highs and lows of campaigning?
A: The best part of the campaign was being able to truly feel the reach this university has. Something I value greatly is that we all share something in common with each other. No matter how different we are, there is always something we share. … Beyond just where we go to school, we were always able to find something in common with strangers we met, and that is one of the many beauties of human interaction. It is difficult to think of the worst parts of a campaign that reaped so much good for me personally. If anything, I would say it was difficult having to run a campaign against some of my very good friends. I always want everyone to succeed and achieve what they are striving for, so it was difficult to have to see myself succeed at the expense of people I respect in the highest regard.
Miss Ole Miss: Lydia Robbins
What does Miss Ole Miss mean to you?
A: Ole Miss has held a special piece of my heart for as long as I can remember, and I know it will continue to do so forever. Through the abundance of opportunities I have been given and the amazing people I have been able to meet, Ole Miss has shaped me into the person that I am today. If I am lucky enough to connect with others and shape their time at Ole Miss, as others have shaped mine, I will be incredibly thankful.
What were the highs and lows parts of campaigning?
A: There were too many great parts of campaigning to be able to describe them all, but there were two really awesome aspects that stood out to me. The first was the ability to raise awareness for the Thomas Hayes Mayo Lab, a philanthropy that is very near to my heart. The Thomas Hayes Mayo Lab will work to proactively educate students in grades K-12 about mental health and substance misuse through holistic wellness efforts. The second was meeting students from all over campus. While campaigning on the union plaza I had the opportunity to have conversations with students who would stop by the table. It was really awesome connect with them and get to know them while sharing my campaign platform. The days were definitely long, and at times it was difficult to balance the campaign alongside schoolwork and extracurriculars, but I was surrounded by an incredible support system that made it all possible.
Homecoming King: Kyle Gordon
What does Homecoming King mean to you?
A: To me, Homecoming King means being a positive and realistic reflection of this campus and its student body. I work hard, I play hard and I love this campus and my peers here even harder. If work, play and love don’t sum up this university, I don’t know what could. I’m just very thankful my peers allowed me to be the person who represents that.
What were the highs and lows of campaigning?
A: The best part of the campaign process was definitely seeing the amount of love shown from my friends and even students I didn’t even know. It was a very heartwarming thing to experience. The cons of the campaign process were balancing my clinical hours, homework, my babysitting and social media work, and a social life. I wouldn’t trade any of those sleepless nights trying to stay on top of everything for anything in the world though.
Homecoming Queen: Eliza Peters
What does Homecoming Queen mean to you?
A: It is my hope that people can remember the campaign platform as a time when they were challenged to think about their own stories and how we can collectively celebrate that. Throughout the week of homecoming, I was able to meet incredible people including James Meredith and Dr. (Bob) Warner, the Ole Miss Alumni Association President. Hearing their experiences with Ole Miss was inspiring. I hope that as Homecoming Queen I can continue to work in our community to celebrate others’ stories. I am not sure what that will look like, it could be as simple as reading in classrooms or helping at events — but I don’t want my duties to stop.
What were the highs and lows of campaigning?
A: The best part was the memories I made. My campaign managers, Harrison Hays, Abby Church and Daneel Konnar, were incredible. They were always ready to help. Meeting students from all over was also so cool. I met some freshmen from right around my hometown that I didn’t even know came here, and now we see each other everywhere. It was a very long two weeks of campaigning. Having it be so long kind of takes a toll on you towards the end of the “season.” It is a very memorable two weeks, but I was definitely very tired after the runoffs because we went right into homecoming week.
