Candidates for West Virginia University’s 2015 Homecoming court have been selected. The five female and five male candidates will now compete for the title of king and queen.

The 2015 Homecoming king and queen will be crowned during a halftime ceremony at the WVU Football game against Oklahoma State on Oct. 10 at Milan Puskar Stadium.

Homecoming queen candidates are: Deonna Gandy, business major from Pittsburgh, PA; Amanda Hutchinson, sport and exercise psychology major from Dingsman Ferry, PA; Jordan “Blair” Rigney, animal and nutritional sciences major from South Charleston; Ellen Walburn, English and political science major from Martinsburg; Justine Schultz, aerospace and mechanical engineering major from Stewartsville, NJ.

Homecoming king candidates are: Ansh Kumar, petroleum and natural gas engineering major from Charleston; Julius McCall, international business major from Willow Grove, PA; John Rendinell, mathematics major from South Charleston; Jon Salazar, civil engineering major from South Charleston; Joe Rosati, finance major from Ganesvoort, NY.

Candidates began campaigning on Monday, September 28. Voting will take place on Tuesday (Oct. 6) and Wednesday (Oct. 7) from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at two locations: the Mountainlair and the Student Recreation Center.

The entire court will participate in the Homecoming parade, which takes place on High Street, scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9.

The 2015 Homecoming king and queen will be crowned during the halftime ceremony at the WVU vs Oklahoma State football game on Oct. 10 at Milan Puskar Stadium.

Biographies for the candidates are as follows:

Homecoming queen candidates:

Deonna Gandy is a member of the Honors College and a business administration major. She has served as the president of the WVU chapter of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and the president of the Residence Hall Association. Gandy also was the founder of the PINK @ WVU organization, an organization to represent the Victoria Secret PINK brand on campus. She was also a founding member of the #Respectful Mountaineer campaign. She has also served as the professional development chair of the WVU American Association of University Women, an ambassador for the Student Support Center at WVU, and a peer mentor and resident assistant to students in the Honors College.

Amanda Hutchison is a sport and exercise psychology major with minors in disability studies and athletic coaching education from Milford, Pennsylvania. She is a former governor for the Student Government Association. She is vice president of Mountaineer Special Olympics and volunteers with children with disabilities in adaptive physical education. She has spent her collegiate career being a disability advocate and started a movement toward a more ADA accessible campus at WVU.

Blaire Rigney is a double major in animal and nutritional science and pre occupational therapy. She is the vice president of the Chi Omega sorority and a member of the Mountaineer Maniacs and the WVU Fishing Club. She serves as a volunteer at On Eagles’ Wings Therapeutic Horsemanship Center in Fairmont, West Virginia.

Justine Schultz is a member of the Honors College and a dual major in mechanical and aerospace engineering. She is the former president, vice president and founding sister of the Alpha Omega Epsilon sorority. She is the co-founder of the WVU Experimental Rocketry and Space Public Outreach teams and a member of the Microgravity Research team. She is the president of the Student Partnership for the Advancement of Cosmic Exploration, and is a three-time NASA Space Grant recipient for her extensive research, outreach, and promotion of women and minorities in science, technology, engineering, and math fields.

Ellen Walburn is a double major concentrating in English and political science. She has served as the president of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and is currently the vice president of the WVU Panhellenic Council.

Homecoming king candidates:

Ansh Kumar is a petroleum and natural gas engineering major. He has served as a governor for the Student Government Association, as president of the Interfraternity Council and as vice president of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He is a member of the Student Advocates for Legislative Advancement, the American Association for Drilling Engineers and the Society of Petroleum Engineers.

Julius McCall is an international business major with minors in business administration and economics. He is the president of the Pi Mu Chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He is a student mentor for the WVU Successful MALE initiative -Men Achieving through Leadership and Engagement. He is a former chief of staff and executive board member for the Student Government Association, president for the Black Student Union, and has served as the Sergeant at Arms for the Paul Robeson/Mahalia Jackson Gospel Choir.

John Dominic Rendinell is a mathematics major and a member of the Honors College. He currently serves as president of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity.

Joe Rosati is a finance major with a music performance minor. He is the secretary of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and treasurer of the Beta Alpha Psi, a business information honor society organization. He formerly served as treasurer and philanthropy chairman of the Pike fraternity, helping to organize the first annual Pike Fireman’s Challenge. He has also served as vice president of finance of the Interfraternity Council and is a violinist in the WVU Symphony Orchestra.

Jon Salazar is a civil engineer major with a minor in military science. He is a cadet in the Army ROTC. He serves as the president of Sigma Nu fraternity, a member of WVVU’s Mountain honorary, and formerly served at the president of Scabbard and Blade, a national military honors society. Upon graduation, he will commission as a Distinguished Military Graduate into the Army as an active duty second lieutenant. He has been recognized as the Outstanding Greek Man of the Year.

For more information on all Homecoming activities, visit http://homecoming.wvu.edu/.

-WVU-

ta/9/29/15

CONTACT: Sabrina Cave, Student Life
Sabrina.cave@mail.wvu.edu, 304.293.2506

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