Weeks before homecoming, students at Northwestern State University of Louisiana had placed their votes for the 2024 Homecoming Honor Court. With the anticipation of who won homecoming royalty, it was soon time to announce the winners. Some had been waiting since freshman year for this moment; some never expected it to come.
The male and female who get the most votes earn the title of Homecoming Queen and King. To complete the royalty, nominated seniors have the chance to be named Mr. NSU and Miss NSU.
Terrell “TJ” Woodard, who is a senior biology major and the student body president, was nominated for and won the title of Mr. NSU.
“I was very surprised in a way,” Woodard shared, recalling his nomination. “I worked towards getting this honor. It’s always been a dream of mine, but to see that there was a possibility of it happening was kind of surreal.”
To be nominated for any of the homecoming royalty positions, 4 organizations had to nominate the candidates. Woodard is a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Theta Chi chapter, the co-founder of Black Male Alliance, a member of the Blue Key Honor Society and more. Back in high school, though, he wasn’t as involved as he is now.
“I was very shy, very timid. While I was technically a leader in organizations, I wasn’t leading. I was waiting for other people to do things, and then I would act. That was something that I knew I kind of had to get out of the habit of when I came to college,” Woodard said. “At the end of the day, you’re in charge of your own destiny.”
To get recognition from his college peers as they nominated him for Mr. NSU, Woodard felt honored and as though his hard work paid off.
“I want to serve as a role model for people to know that, you know, you can get involved regardless of your background or regardless of what you did in high school. You can come to college and make your experience exactly what you want it to be,” Woodard said. “College is really your opportunity to branch out and make something really good for yourself, and that’s something that I’ve been so blessed to have the opportunity to do at Northwestern. I feel like I wouldn’t have been given the opportunity at this magnitude at any other university, so I’m forever grateful to be a student here.”
Woodard feels he is a representative for what students can be at NSU even more now that he is Mr. NSU.
“My sole goal is to just be the voice of the students and truly represent all the diverse backgrounds of our student body,” Woodard said. “So I’d like to intertwine the two roles in the sense that I’ll continue to do my outreach that I do with the Student Government Association (SGA), but do it from a university lens — try and offer support for people that may feel like they’re underrepresented on campus and just continue to be that beacon of light to show people that there is hope, and you can be involved or as not involved as you want, but you’re still a valued member of our student body.”
Woodard recalled when he first found out he won Mr. NSU, while he was in an SGA meeting.
“Everybody started screaming and everything. So it was a cool moment to be surrounded by my cabinet and the people that I love to work with and then also sharing that moment with Hannah,” Woodard said. “We’ve been with each other every single step of the way since freshman year, starting off with freshman connection, and we’ve done a bunch of similar involvement things up until now. So to be able to share so many different experiences with her was amazing.”
Miss NSU Hannah Davis, a senior psychology major and the student body vice president, recalled that same moment from her perspective.
“Me and TJ were in the SGA office. Dr. Yonna was there, and she was like, ‘Congratulations, Miss and Mr. NSU,’ and like, we all started crying, like, we were falling out of chairs. Everybody was just clapping. It was so sweet. It was such a surreal moment,” Davis said. “And then I had called my mom and she started crying again. She was busting out crying, and hugging people at her job and stuff.”
It was such an emotional moment for Davis, her friends and her family because it was obvious how much becoming Miss NSU meant to her.
“It made me feel like people actually see the work that I do on campus, and it made me feel really special.”
Davis is the Eta Chi president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., in Purple Jackets Club Honor Society, in Order of Omega Leadership Honor Society and various other organizations. Like TJ, however, Davis didn’t just start as an all-around involved student.
“I actually came here by myself; I didn’t really know anybody. Then in high school, I really wasn’t involved at all. I really hated high school,” Davis shared. “Then I came here, and when I got into the President’s Leadership Program, it bridged me into other things. In my freshman year, I joined SGA, and then SGA literally bridged me to joining my sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. I really look back at myself and I’m proud of jumping out of my comfort zone.”
Winning the title of Miss NSU was already a moment Davis was proud of, but sharing this experience with Woodard made it even more unforgettable.
“We’ve been friends for a long time,” Davis said. “It was really sweet having that moment with him because I couldn’t imagine doing it with anybody else because, you know, we’re president and vice president.”
Now that Davis is Miss NSU, she knows the impact she wants to have on others.
“I want to be a friendly face to everyone. Even if they don’t remember my name, I just want them to remember that I was a smiling face, and I was always a helping hand if they needed,” Davis said. “Because I know, whenever people have come to me, they’ve been like, ‘oh, you’re always smiling,’ ‘you’re always so nice,’ and I just want to leave that legacy.”
This year’s 2024 Homecoming King Christian James, a senior communication major, plans to use his title in a positive light.
“It’s a huge honor, but I take it as more of a mentor opportunity because everybody knows you’re homecoming king,” James explained. “All eyes on me, so I use it as an opportunity to lead by example and just be somebody that everybody can follow.”
James went on to explain he wants to be an inspiration for transfers and freshmen, as he has only been at NSU for just one year.
“I’m a transfer student, and it’s hard to transfer somewhere and do something to motivate other people because it is hard,” James said. “I want everybody to know that no matter how long you’ve been there, no matter how much time you spend somewhere, you can do anything. You can do it as quickly as you want.”
Not only is James a transfer student, but he is also a first-generation college student.
“I just say it means a lot because I don’t come from a college family,” James said. “No one has a college background, so being able to start this legacy for my kids to look at and be like, ‘oh, you did this in college?’ Now I want to do that. So it’s just kind of starting a legacy for me.”
James is involved in many organizations within his college career including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, SGA, Black Male Alliance and more. As Mr. NSU, he wants to use his platform to wear his title “as a pageant queen would.” He wants to represent, support and promote organizations, give advice to people and motivate others to come to school.
James’ experience as homecoming king was one to remember, but his homecoming queen made it perfect.
“With Kaley, it was perfect. If there’s anybody who gets my humor — my personality — it’s Kaley, we’re the same,” James said. “So whenever she became queen, it was just like, of course. Who else would it be? I know everybody on the list, but I feel like it couldn’t have been a better choice. It couldn’t have been a more perfect choice. .”
2024 Homecoming queen Kaley Koss, a junior double majoring in communication and psychology, felt the same way about James as the homecoming king.
“So homecoming queen in itself is just incredible, but knowing that I get to do everything with Chris James, I was like, ‘this is going to be so much fun,’” Koss said. “That made the experience 10 times better. I got to do freshman connection with Chris, and he has become one of my best friends over the summer.”
Koss is in Sigma Sigma Sigma Alpha Zeta sorority as the recruitment director, the Purple Jackets Club Honor Society, Baptist Collegiate Ministry and more. When she first found out she was homecoming queen, she was with her little in her sorority.
“I was so thankful,” Koss recalled. “We were just both like little girls excited.”
Although she was excited, Koss was somewhat shocked at the news. She honestly didn’t expect it.
“I’ve had people tell me, you know, ‘why are you surprised?’ For me, I guess it’s just my personality,” Koss said. “It might seem like I have it all together, but I am insecure. I don’t expect highly of myself sometimes and that’s just something I lack.”
Koss explained she had gladly accepted her role as homecoming queen, but she thought back to how she used to be. Without the confidence she has gained since freshman year of college, Koss doesn’t feel as though she could have even had this experience if she wanted to.
At the beginning of her freshman year, Koss had no desire to be involved. She said she wanted to work, make money and go to class.
“Here I am literally doing everything now. I should have never said that. I lied to myself,” Koss said. “So it’s a significant difference from when I first started. I’m thankful I’ve met so many people along the way and that it has made the experience so much more fun.”
Koss’s role as homecoming queen encourages others that it is never too late to start getting involved.
“It’s so much easier than most people would think it is. You’re never out of the loop and everything. That’s how I felt before I got involved. I was like, ‘I don’t know where to get started,’ but the second you just try to figure out ‘okay, how do I do this? It’s a lot easier, and it changes the whole experience of college,” Koss said. “These are the last four years before you’re in the big world.”
The homecoming royalty titles are more than just a name; they offer a platform to share ideas, advice, personal experiences and more. Although their official moment to shine was during the homecoming game, Woodard, Davis, James and Koss’s honors will go beyond this as they leave a forever legacy at NSU.
