Music filled the air as the court stepped onto the center of the football field. There were men decked in suits, ladies in sparkling dresses and a large crowd of spectators shrieking with excitement through it all. Welcome to Eastern Michigan University’s homecoming 2013.
After reading through the names and interests of candidate duos Patrick Seick and Allyson Daraban, Amber Lawson and Willie Brown, and Ebony Walls and Bader Yousef, the most-anticipated moment of homecoming arrived. Lawson and Brown were crowned as this year’s homecoming king and queen. Walls and Yousef were the runner-ups with Seick and Daraban in third place.
Excitement radiated from Brown and Lawson, who pulled 2012 homecoming king and queen Blake Navarre and Ja’La Wourman into bear hugs as the seasoned royalty gave the new monarchs their crowns. EMU President Susan Martin also shared in on the congratulations.
“Homecoming court is wonderful,” Martin said. “There’s a very strong competition on campus; it’s a great honor, and it’s an exciting ceremony.”
Lawson, wearing a candy apple red dress created by her and friend Drew Sherman, was just as jubilant.
“I’m really excited,” Lawson said. “I think that after being an Eagle supporter for so many years, it’s really exciting that I get to represent them in another way, to get to be another kind of student ambassador for a year. After being at every single game for the last four years with the dance team, it’s really nice to represent the athletic department as well as the theatre department and the dance department, too. It’s awesome.”
Lawson, a dance major and senior, is also a co-captain of the EMU dance team and a devoted actress with the theatre programs. Her fellow dance team members surrounded her with big smiles as they posed for photos on the field in support of their friend.
“It’s pretty amazing for me,” said Brown, junior and business management major. “Not going to lie, I almost cried. I didn’t expect to get the reaction that we got. I love the student body, and I love this university.”
