Holding a dozen red roses and standing in front of a sold out Air Jam show at John R. Emens Auditorium, senior Morgan Smith had a crown placed on her head as she became the 2010 Homecoming Queen.
"I had butterflies! I was so nervous about being on stage," Morgan said.
After making it to the top ten through campuswide online voting, she went through a series of royalty events, interviews and dinners with alumni, faculty and staff.
She said meeting all those people was a great experience, adding that her biggest supporters were her roommates, sorority sisters and parents.
Smith, a fashion merchandising major from Fort Wayne, was nominated by her sorority, Chi Omega.
Molly Johnson, Smith's roomate, said what carried Smith through the selection process were her strong values and positive attitude.
"Morgan is an all-around great person," Johnson said. "She's not not only a leader, but you can't help but smile when you're around her. She's a very positive person."
One of the biggest challenges was the secret judges. Johnson said Smith had to mingle with people throughout the selection process, not knowing if they were a judge or not.
Smith said she was thinking about the honor she was given to represent not only Ball State, but Chi Omega as well.
Smith's royal court includes Ashlyn Ackerman of the American Institute of Architecture Students, Jenika Garetson of SPECTRUM, Katrena Thompson of Student Voluntary Services and Lauren Mazur of University Singers.
Emily Westermeier of Alpha Chi Omega, Karen Karr of Alpha Omicron Pi, Kelly Quarles of the Black Student Association, Jessica Rockhill of Epsilon Sigma Alpha and Chelsea Wheeler of Studebaker West were in the top 10 as well.
Homecoming nominees are chosen by their respective student organizations during the Spring Semester. The top ten finalists for king and queen, as determined by online voting, are announced at the Fashion Show in September and crowned at Air Jam during Homecoming Week.
After the entire process, Smith said all she did was just be herself.
"The conversations you have and what you have done at Ball State is part of the entire the community," she said. "You have to learn to be yourself and let everyone you meet in the process get to know the real you. The only way to do that is to just be yourself."
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