Imagine yourself standing in the middle of Sanford Stadium surrounded by a sea of screaming fans to be crowned UGA’s 2011 Homecoming Queen. For some this idea is just a distant dream, but on Saturday November 5th this became reality for Senior Mel Baxter. A Kansas native who has never even seen the Wizard of Oz, Baxter, came to UGA to major in communication studies but never imagined she’d be crowed Homecoming Queen.
“[Being crowned] was unreal. I couldn’t believe it then- actually; I still don’t believe it now. But it was an incredible feeling,” said Baxter.
Baxter is honored to be Homecoming Queen especially since she has so much school pride. “I love this school and I’m so excited that I get to represent it in this capacity,” Baxter said.
Her favorite UGA memory has been the Georgia vs. Florida game, especially this year’s game since it is the first time UGA has won since she’s been a student. “Georgia/Florida is one of my favorite traditions at UGA. I love watching so many UGA students celebrate Georgia and cheer on our football team. You better believe I’ll be back again next year,” said Baxter.
Baxter was nominated for homecoming court by the UGA Miracle executive board. Baxter serves as UGA Miracle’s internal director. She also works as an orientation leader, dawg camp counselor, and in the visitor’s center. She is a member of Alpha Omicron Pi and the Georgia Recruitment Team.
As for Baxter’s future endeavors, she plans on attending graduate school next year to get her Masters in Student Affairs. After graduating, she hopes to get a job on a college campus.
“It’s crazy to think back to my freshman year because I never would have expected my experience at UGA to turn out to be this incredible!”
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UGA chapter.