Being crowned for the Royal Court is an honor bestowed upon six students usually, but only five were crowned this year as Georgia State was missing a Mr. Perimeter. Students running for the crown must qualify with a specific grade point average—something that Mr. Perimeter applicants lacked—as well as a certain amount of credit hours (depending on the position) and community service hours and one recommendation letter.
The Royal Court winners not only represent the university as a whole but also the different schools and majors that they are a part of and any sorority or fraternity they are involved with. The competition is high, but ultimately being a part of the Royal Court is what changes those students’ lives and is an experience that none of them will forget.
The Signal spoke with the students who were crowned 2017’s Mr. & Ms. Georgia State University, Mr. & Ms. Blue and White and Ms. Perimeter.
Justin Adams – Mr. Georgia State University
What inspired you to run?
I just really found a passion here at this school, and I just really wanted to become somebody who could represent that and really promote Georgia State University and advocate for it and stand for the school and its people.
What has your experience been like?
You think it’ll be all like, roses and just fun… However, once it actually starts, you do realize that it’s very stressful, especially when voting begins. Overall, though, just meeting all the candidates… getting to know each other and learning the choreography for the dance—that’s one of my favorite parts. I really loved this experience.
What is the most interesting or bizarre thing on your bucket list?
I recently became a fan of Korean pop music, so I would love to visit South Korea and meet one of my favorite boy groups, Seventeen, and just dance with them.
Norae Woodard— Ms. Georgia State University
What inspired you to run?
With this being my senior year, I just really made a promise to myself that all the goals that I set I would really try to accomplish… When I thought about what it really meant to be Ms. Georgia State and just thinking about how much Georgia State has contributed to my life, I thought that it would be a wonderful impact.
What has your experience been like?
Amazing. It’s been truly a great experience just being a part of the Homecoming court and just experiencing the parades and interacting with all the Georgia State students that, on a day-to-day basis, I might not have interacted with. It’s really just humbling to be in this experience.
What is the most interesting or bizarre thing on your bucket list?
To visit all 50 states, I’m going to do it. Not really sure how, but I am.
Brandon Cain— Mr. Blue and White
What inspired you to run?
My mother really wanted me to go for this one… She gave me that gentle nudge… helped me through the process and gave me the courage and the strength… But then another part that made me want to do it originally was that I wanted to represent Georgia State and talk about all the benefits and positive things that are offered at Georgia State that a lot of people don’t know about.
What has your experience running been like?
My experience has been something fierce. It’s been wonderful, of course, but it’s also been high pressure, a lot of movement, a lot of planning, a lot of scheduling… We had events every week, and then Homecoming week itself was the biggest experience. But I really enjoyed it. It was nice.
What is the most interesting or bizarre thing on your bucket list?
Create a video game based off of my life, or with the main character being based off of someone like me. And maybe have it be like an adventure game or a fighting game.
Asia Haywood— Ms. Blue and White
What inspired you to run?
I have been on the other side of completely hating Georgia State to loving it, and it’s because of the students who fell in love with me and gave…so much to my life and I wanted to give that back. So that’s pretty much the whole thing of why I’m running and what my campaign is—just to give back the love that I received.
What has your experience running been like?
It was great. It was stressful just because there is just no way to prepare and everything happens so fast, but it was a really great experience—definitely something I’ll never forget.
What’s the most interesting or bizarre thing on your bucket list?
I want a pet snake. One big enough to go around my shoulders.
Denise Doboyouh— Ms. Perimeter
What inspired you to run?
The reason why I wanted to run was because I wanted to be the voice for the campus. I feel like there is still a disconnect between the Atlanta campus and the Perimeter campuses. So there’s a lot that we need to work on, but I still feel that we can all work together to unify the campuses since we are all Georgia State now.
What has your experience running been like?
It’s been fun. I’ve learned a lot, and I’ve made a lot of friends. This whole running process has pushed me to talk to more people than I normally would have, so I feel like I found out that I’m not a quiet person—I actually love being around people. It’s been very fun for me.
What is the most interesting or bizarre thing on your bucket list?
I would like to jump out of a plane one day. I’m really scared of heights.
