Photo: Illinois Wesleyan University via Facebook
AJ Monken and Taylor Robinson
Congratulations to this year’s homecoming king and queen who were announced at Wednesday night’s annual Pizza Taste. Our queen, AJ Monken is sponsored by Alpha Gamma Delta and is a business major. She posted on her Instagram Wednesday after the crowning that she was thankful for the opportunity with the caption, “so incredibly honored to be IWU’s 2020 Homecoming Queen.” Our king, Taylor Robinson is sponsored by Tau Kappa Epsilon and Student Senate. He is a nursing major and part of the first Posse to come to IWU from New Orleans. Robinson is a nursing major and the current president of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity.
Aly Mirasol
Aly is sponsored by the College Panhellenic Council and wants to give a shoutout to Nicole LaPapa who is the Council’s Vice President, “for helping me succeed in my role as president, I couldn’t do it without you.” Mirasol says she loves helping people and was thankful for the opportunity to be recognized for that. Plus, she says, “I think I’d look really good in a crown.” As an interdisciplinary education major she says that her favorite thing about IWU has been connecting with her professors on a deeper level, something she did not get to do at the big school that she transferred from. She wants to especially thank Professor Brad Sheese for “always being there for me when I’ve been a mess and for connecting me with Bloom Community School, an alternative Middle School where I got to hang out and work with some amazing kids.”
Michael Good
Michael is sponsored by the Office of Residential Life where he says, “there are too many great people to just shout out one of them.” He says that he thought the nomination was really funny but decided to commit and accept it. The nursing major says he loves the community and lifelong connections that he has made here at IWU. He would like to give a shoutout to Professor Kathleen O’Gorman who, “is doing important work trying to free the children and families at the border and who serves as a major inspiration for me to keep working hard.”
Ria Patel
Ria is sponsored by the South Asian Student Alliance and wants to give a shoutout to Manish, “for being a great friend and treasurer for our club.” She says that she was super shocked and surprised that someone would do such a nice thing for her. The biology major and psychology minor says that her favorite thing about IWU is the friends that she has made here. She would like to thank Dr. Bolivar for being so nice and caring and for “always taking the time to talk to students in the CNS atrium about life and subjects other than school.”
Lety Hernandez (second from right)
Lety is sponsored by the Japanese Language and Culture Club and wants to give her shoutout to Hannah Rahm and Jenna Ney, “who are two of the most amazing people I have ever had the pleasure of getting to know.” She says that the news that she had been nominated surprised her but that she was very excited. As a sociology major, she names the sense of community as her favorite part about IWU and the way that it makes her feel right at home. She names her academic advisor, Dr. Burke as the faculty member she is most thankful for because, “I feel that she has believed in me from day one and has offered me a lot of great advice and encouragement over the course of my time at IWU. I don’t think I would have been half as successful as a student without her help.”
Lauryn Lingad
Lauryn is sponsored by Kappa Delta Sorority and wants to shout out all of her amazing sisters. She says she was very excited and feels very lucky for the opportunity to represent IWU. “All the candidates for king and queen are absolutely well deserved, and I just feel super lucky to be selected alongside them” Lingad said. The nursing major and health minor says that her favorite part about IWU has been all the people that she has met here. She says that the faculty of the School of Nursing have inspired her most and taught her the importance of being a good leader.
Anna Mitroszewska
Anna is sponsored by TitanThon and thanks her co-President Brooke Dominski. She said when she found out that she had been nominated, she laughed about it with her roommates. Her favorite things about IWU are her roommates and the Shirk Center. The nursing major and international studies minor thanks Professor Scott Sheridan for, “being a mentor to me since my freshman year and proving to be a successful leader and role model for me throughout my years here.”
Junaid Ali (Second from left)
Junaid is sponsored by the Campus Activities Board, which he loves being involved in and creating and setting up fun events for the campus community. He says that he was super surprised by this nomination. The biology major’s favorite part of IWU is the connections that he has made with professors and staff members on campus. He would like to give a shoutout to Kevin Carey “because he has really helped me grow as a leader on campus. My position as director of CAB would be 10 times harder if Kevin wasn’t there to help.”
Ely Cortez Ely is sponsored by Alpha Psi Lambda, IWU’s coed Latix fraternity. Ely is the president of the organization and played a major role in bringing it to campus. “Bringing Alpha Psi Lambda to campus was so rewarding to myself and my hermano and hermanas,” Cortez said. Cortez also currently serves as president of the Spanish and Latino Student Association (SALSA). She is a nursing major who is thankful for the opportunity to have participated in the IWU Spain Program in the Spring of 2019.