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Events | FeaturedFebruary 19, 2022

Heppner, Ha Crowned Homecoming Royalty

Written By: Rachel Rodemann Putman

Saturday afternoon, February 19, 2022, the Wild Roarin’ West slate of homecoming festivities at the Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥ – Fort Smith concluded in the crowning of students Bao Ha and Reagan Heppner as 2022 Homecoming King and Queen.

Bao Ha is the son of Tam Ha, Thao Nguyen. He is a senior, organizational leadership major from Binh Duong, Vietnam and represented Sigma Nu fraternity on the Homecoming Court. Reagan Heppner is the daughter of Phil and Becky Heppner. She is a senior vocal music major from Elkins and represented the Campus Activities Board (CAB), the Cancer Research Committee Leader for Lion Heart community service organization,

"I love Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥ because of the supportive campus environment. Always encouraging students to be who they want to be and to create their own legacy," said Heppner, who served as Cub Camp director introducing hundreds of new students to Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥ through an extensive three-day campus immersion program in both 2020 and 2021. "Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥ means so much to me because without it I wouldn’t be the person or leader I  am today."  Heppner is also the membership and events director for CAB, Omnia Vox President, and a member of the Chancellor’s Leadership Council and Delta Gamma sorority.

Ha currently serves at Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥ as a member of CAB, the Chancellor’s Leadership Council, and the Lion Heart community service organization, and has served as a Cub Camp chair for three years. Ha also works as a student worker at ArcBest in Fort Smith.

2021 Homecoming King and Queen Jomar Francisco of Little Rock and Shandreka McCullough of Farmington, both of whom graduated in 2021, returned to campus to announce the winners during a joyous presentation at halftime of the Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥ Men’s Basketball game.

Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥ Chancellor Dr. Terisa Riley and her husband Dr. Ricardo Maestas joined the festivities, offering the Homecoming court and all participants their sincere congratulations and presenting the newly-named King and Queen with their crowns, a scepter and a bouquet of roses.

The winners were crowned from a homecoming court of eight students. Members of each court had the four highest scores of a combined student vote and interview scored by university faculty and staff.

The three additional students elected to Homecoming Queen court Kassidy Barnt, a senior marketing major from Batesville, representing Alpha Omicron Pi sorority; Jade Rogers, a junior psychology major from Roland, Oklahoma, representing the Student Government Association; and Isabelle Tillman, a junior psychology major from Tulsa, Oklahoma, representing Gamma Phi Beta sorority.

The three additional students elected to Homecoming King court were: Logan Aguilera, a junior history with teacher licensure major from Amarillo, Texas, representing the Campus Activities Board; Logan Kelley, a junior business administration major from Fort Smith, representing Kappa Sigma fraternity; and Miguel Roque, a senior criminal justice major from Fort Smith, representing the Spanish Club.

In total 15 homecoming court candidates competed for the honor, and 25 individual registered student organizations competed in team events throughout the week.

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• Homecoming