Many people dream of being a king or queen, and for a couple SUNY Buffalo State students, this dream became a reality. There were eight contestants vying for the crown at the king and queen finals after the pep rally Thursday night.

The contestants all represented their respective clubs or organizations in the contest, including men’s and women’s athletic teams, fraternities and sororities.

Those who competed in the contest for Homecoming king included senior journalism major Derek Jordan, representing the S.P.i.R.i.T. Gospel Choir, junior psychology major Marc Montano, representing the men’s football team, junior business administration major Cameron Pazderski, representing the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity, and industrial technology major Afolabi Soetan, representing the Caribbean student organization.

The contestants for Homecoming queen were freshman communications major Neseemah Coleman, representing the class of 2018, senior journalism major Angelice Romero, representing the Zeta Chi Omega sorority, senior criminal justice major Nikita Stewart, representing the women’s basketball team and the Alpha Sigma Ti sorority, and senior hospitalities major Christine Walker, representing Sigma Gamma Rho.

The Social Hall of the Campbell Student Union slowly filled with students, staff and parents as the lights dimmed and the contest started.

The contest was divided into three categories: talent, question and answer, and lastly a Jeopardy-style round. The questions focused on the school, covering academic and social issues.

 The talent portion of the contest consisted of multiple singing acts, dance numbers, and poetry readings. The crowd was energetic during the talent competition and roared when the nominees took stage.

 The question and answer portion of the contest resulted in many intellectual answers to questions putting the contestants in various hypothetical administrative roles on campus. The audience cheered and jeered as contestants spoke of various “hot topics” around campus, such as parking and campus dining options.

The Jeopardy-style round had contestants answer — ask, rather — questions such as the number of majors Buffalo State has to offer and names of different buildings across campus.

As the judges were deciding who was going to be crowned the 2014 Homecoming king and queen, the lip-synching contest began. It was simply a duel between two respecting groups, the S.P.i.R.i.T Gospel Choir and the Buffalo State Residence Hall Association. The contest was short and consisted of elaborate dance choreography involving a group of students and multiple songs spanning different genres. The S.P.i.R.i.T Gospel Choir was named the winners.

Derek Jordan, 25, from Syracuse, NY, was crowned the 2014 Homecoming King. “The first thing I’m going to do is call my mommy!” Jordan exclaimed beaming with excitement. Initially, Jordan was shy and reserved about competing to be king, and said this title will really boost his confidence.

Angelice Romero, 22, from Oahu, HI, was crowned the 2014 Homecoming Queen.

Romero said that competing for Homecoming queen is not something she would normally do, and that stepping out of her comfort zone and just going for it was her only approach in winning.

Both Jordan and Romero are both senior journalism majors.

The runner-up for Homecoming king was Afolabi Soetan and the runner-up for queen was Christine Walker.

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