This years Homecoming events were planned from start to finish by Janelle Pedroza and Ozzy Jaime. The two hold the Major Events Co-Chair positions on the Campus Activity Board, otherwise known as CAB. CAB is responsible for planning and executing numerous events and activities for the students of the University. From planning the theme to booking vendors, and everything in between, the two of them led CAB in creating a memorable homecoming. In this profile, we will get a behind the scenes look at “La Verne Through the Looking Glass”, celebrating the university’s 125th year.
Why did you choose the “La Verne through the Looking Glass” theme?
J:Ozzy and I were fishing through themes because we had to incorporate the 125 years theme. It [Alice in Wonderland] just happens to be my favorite movie, but I waited to share it. We figured with the Through the Looking Glass sequel we could spin it to focus on the time aspect and incorporate the 125th year celebration”
How did you decide on what the themes were for each day?
J: I knew I wanted to throw something people would look forward to, at the same time I wanted to relate every event to a character in the movie. For example the red queen we tied in the red velvet cupcakes, and the White Queen with the life sized chess board.
The themed days were as follows:
Illuminations:Homecoming court reveal with treats and tea!
Off With Your Head!: Dodge the Red Queen in an obstacle course & watch for your head in lazer tag. Red Velved Cupcakes and Me So Hungry Food trucks
Down the Rabbit Hole: Dunk the homecoming court & boba tea truck giveaway
Mad Skate Party: Free admittance and transportation to Skate Express in Chino
Street Fair: Club booths & Homecoming Queen and King Reveal
What was it like dealing with vendors, contracts, and all the paperwork?
Janelle and Ozzy say they split the work down the middle. Ozzy handled more of the contracts while Janelle did more of the booking, planning for the homecoming court, and working on the flyer.
How did you feel once Homecoming was done?
Both Janelle and Ozzy agree that they felt accomplished once it was all over! It also felt like a weight lifted off their shoulders.
What was your favorite or most memorable part of Homecoming?
J:After reveal and after the street fair, it was nice to hear what people thought of it. The best part was seeing people get into it and enjoy themselves.
Would you change anything about your experience?
J:I would have started planning sooner. Although everything ended up great, there were more ideas I thought of at the end that I would have loved to incorporate. I also would utilize my committee members help more.
This years Court consisted of Elias Maldonado, Raymond Gonzalez, Austin Heron, Benjamin Alickovic, Cynthia Ramirez, Reanna Hilario, Alexis Coria, Deonah Cendejas, and Bradlee Johnson. Alaia Azarcon won Queen and Ezra Brodus won King.
Queen Alaia is a Kinesiology major with a minor in Speech Communication. She has served as a Preview day leader, member of the Dance Team, and is currently a member of Sigma Kappa, ASULV, and was a 2016 Orientation Week Leader. Off campus she interns at Casa Colina Children’s Hospital Center. A fun fact about Alaia is that she has been fortunate enough to travel to 25 states, and 35 countries.
Alaia on Homecoming: Homecoming was really fun, I enjoyed seeing all of the Alum’s come out on Saturday and how all the clubs got so into the theme for the street fair. My experience running for court was really exciting to be a part of because we have all shared some sort of La Verne experience together.
King Ezra is majoring in Communications with a concentration in Broadcast Television. When he’s not playing for our ULV football team, he dedicates his time as a member of Black Student Union, La Vogue, Brother’s Forum, Kids Sports Network, and Cru Bible Club. Fun fact about Ezra: he is related to Snoop Dogg.
Ezra on Homecoming: “Overall, Homecoming was an awesome experience and I am very grateful for everyone who made this special week happen. To be completely honest, I wasn’t trying to get soaked into the whole homecoming experience at first because my football coaches kept reminding the team to not get involved with everything around us, but instead stay focus on the game. Because we aren’t having the best season, it was difficult to be excited about homecoming events while trying to focus on getting our first win. One thing I can say though is that homecoming day turned out to be one of the most unforgettable days of my life because I won homecoming king and won our football game in a movie-like way. Homecoming was very special to me and it was definitely one for the books.
As a fellow member of the Campus Activity Board, I understand how much work goes into planning an event – let alone planning a whole week of events! I wanted to take a moment to recognize their hard work and dedication for making such a major event come to life. They were flexible and worked diligently to make sure that we enjoyed these events they put on for us. They chose a theme that was fun and allowed for creativity without limitaitons!
Pictures provided by: Janelle Pedroza, Anyssa Ramirez, Reanna Hilario, Ezra Brodus, Alaia Azarcon, Autumn Simon