GREENEVILLE – Two area Tusculum University seniors added a special title Saturday, Nov. 1, to their growing list of achievements at the higher education institution.
Emily Head, a resident of Gray and a North Greene graduate, and Jerry Ricker, a resident of Kingsport and Dobyns Bennett grad, were named Homecoming queen and king, respectively, during halftime of the Tusculum Pioneers football game. She is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a minor in digital marketing, and he is seeking a bachelor’s in sport science pre-physical therapy/occupational therapy.
“It means a lot because I was not expecting to be named queen,” Head said. “I just always want to help other people, and being named queen means a lot.”
Head attributes her selection to the activities in which she is involved. She is captain of the cheer team and a mentor for Student Support Services, a free program that assists students whose parents or guardians do not have a bachelor’s degree, who meet income-eligibility requirements or who have a disability. Once she earns her undergraduate degree, she plans to obtain her Master of Business Administration from Tusculum.
She is the daughter of Jessica and Brandon Head. She credits her family and her cheer coaches for helping her be a better person and keeping her spirits uplifted no matter what circumstances she faces.
Ricker is an extremely active member of the student body. He is a Student Government Association senator, a resident assistant, a tutor, an SSS mentor and captain of the men’s cross country team. He has also served on the summer staff for he Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math and Science Summer Academy.
The son of Steven Ricker, he plans to continue his studies at Tusculum after graduating by enrolling in the Master of Arts in Teaching program for secondary education 6-12. Ricker also plans to become a graduate assistant for the cross country team.
“Being a senior and winning king means everything,” Ricker said. “I’ve watched the Homecoming court every year for four years running now. I appreciate all the support from everyone and from the school.”
Head and Ricker were selected by the student body. The students also selected the princess and prince from the junior class. Those honors went to Cheyenne Hewitt, who comes from Dandridge, and Rio Little from Greeneville.
Hewitt is a communication major with a theater concentration and won the Curtis ’28 and Billie Owens Literary Prize for fiction earlier this year. She is a member of the quiz bowl and debate teams and has been involved in Tusculum’s theater program.
Little is a sport science major, a football team member, a Pioneer Peer, the peer mentor for the male house in the Discipleship Living-Learning Center and co-president of the Turning Point USA chapter at Tusculum.
The remainder of the court and their hometowns are:
Freshmen
William Benton, Decatur
Ally Doty, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Macey O’Conner, Knoxville
Brody Finch, Chattanooga
Sophomores
Kelstin Burnette, South Pittsburg, Tennessee
Levi Carson, Hammond, Louisiana
Ryan Gallagher, Fredericksburg, Texas
Ryan Ortega, Miami
Juniors
Payne Ladd, Bristol
AnnaLee Simpson, Cleveland, Tennessee
Seniors
Jeff Linton, Rockingham, North Carolina
Allison Silvers, Limestone
Emmett Smiley, Nashville
Brynn Smith, Wellsburg, Iowa
“The Homecoming court is a beloved tradition of this annual weeklong celebration at Tusculum,” said Janelle Zirger, a senior and president of the SGA, which oversees the election process. “We are proud of Emily and Jerry and Cheyenne and Rio, who are terrific students and contribute greatly to the quality of our student body. The students enjoy being part of the Homecoming celebration.”
More information about the university is available at www.tusculum.edu.
