The annual Homecoming Royal T-Bird Pageant took place on Wednesday, Oct. 9 in the Auditorium building, where eight contestants competed for the crown and this year’s homecoming royalty was chosen.
Mia Vazquez was crowned Royal T-Bird alongside first attendant Kasen Graff, second attendant Lizzy Ensign, and people’s choice recipient Halle Hacking.
The pageant was judged by Student Body President Colter Bennett, his wife Lydia Bennett, and Miss Iron County Ashtyn Giles. The eight contestants were judged in three phases of competition: talent, spirit wear and on-stage questions.
The talent portion of the competition showed the contestants’ ability to perform well on stage and engage with an audience. There was a wide range of talents such as cello playing, pancake making, hula dancing and paper airplane making.
Contestant Chandler White played the guitar and sang along with the crowd. He expresses how exciting it was to perform his talent and said, “It was actually really fun, I loved everyone I was competing with and it was a good time.”
The spirit wear phase of competition consisted of a diverse display of outfits to represent SUU. A marching band outfit, SUU basketball Jersey, cheerleading pom poms, and an outfit representing the Navajo Tribe were all presented.
When the final call came, contestants walked out in their evening wear and Vazquez was then crowned.
She stated, “When they announced my name I was shocked! I genuinely did not know what was going on and it feels great! I love it. I love SUU and I can’t wait to be back here again!”
“It was so much fun to judge,” said Giles. “There was a lot of authenticity here at SUU and our students are great. I felt like the contestants really showed their true selves…They shined and it was super fun and I am so proud of them!”
The homecoming royalty will be seen at the parade this Saturday and other homecoming events throughout the week.
Author: Natalie Anderson
Editor: Heather Turner
Copy Editor: Kayd Johanson
Photos by Gannon Lovisa
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