Every year since 1985, UTSA has crowned a Mr. and Ms. UTSA. At the homecoming game last week, the new Mr. and Ms. UTSA were passed the title at halftime.
According to the Candidate Criteria on the UTSA website, candidates must be full-time students, have completed 24 hours at UTSA and have a UTSA GPA of at least 2.75.
To become a candidate, one must submit an application, three reference letters and a résumé. Applicants are then chosen to be interviewed by a panel of UTSA faculty and alumni. After the interview, semi-finalists are selected. Semi-finalists then attend two workshops, create a platform and present their platform. Three male and three female candidates are selected as finalists.
Once candidates have been elected, they begin campaigning. The candidates run individually but are allowed to campaign with a running mate. During homecoming week, there is a 48-hour voting period for the student body to select the candidate to represent UTSA.
The winners of Mr. and Ms. UTSA are announced during halftime of the homecoming game. Mr. and Ms. UTSA advocate and work towards implementing their platforms for the year that they hold their title.
The 2017 candidates for Mr. UTSA were Moshood Adams, Jeffrey Hooks and Joseph del Rosario, and the 2017 candidates for Ms. UTSA were Asia Marshall, Jennifer Trevino and Taylor Waits.
Moshood Adams, a junior psychology major, ran on a platform called Runner2Runner. Runner2Runner would promote networking and connecting undergraduate students with alumni.
“A lot of our alumni want to give back; sometimes it can’t always be financially. They have experiences, they’ve got wisdom they want to share and maybe even jobs or positions for us,” said Adams.
Asia Marshall, a junior interdisciplinary studies major, ran a platform called Shake a Tailfeather.
“It’s about plugging people into UTSA’s resources, plugging them into networking opportunities with other students and plugging them into leadership opportunities.”
Shake a Tailfeather would consist of student-facilitated workshops that relate to college students, such as maintaining their physical and mental health as well as maintaining their finances.
Jeffrey Hooks, a junior kinesiology major with a concentration in athletic medicine, ran on a platform of making UTSA a healthier campus by 2020.
“Utilization of the Rec has been at a stagnant 43 percent over the last seven years. It means bringing the demo kitchen out, the other resources at the Rec, so we can get that 57 percent of students who don’t utilize the Rec.” The platform advocates for showcasing the resources available to students and encouraging them to use the resources included in their tuition.
Taylor Waits, a junior communication major with a minor in linguistics, ran a financial literacy platform.
“I want to have financial literacy weeks during both semesters of our school year just to offer sessions for students so they can learn about scholarships, grants, loans.” Waits wants students to be able to focus on their education and not have to worry about their finances.
Joseph del Rosario, a sophomore vocal music education major, ran on the platform of spreading art throughout campus. “I believe that the arts really help students, and we do take that for granted. I want to work towards having different stages, so we can utilize talent that we have at UTSA.” The platform wants to raise awareness about art and spread it throughout campus in its various forms such as music and dance.
Jennifer Trevino, a junior kinesiology athletic medicine major, ran with the platform called the Resilient Roadrunner Foundation. “It’s about raising awareness and outreach to young adults in the San Antonio area and on campus with cancer.” The platform advocates for having free preventative health and wellness screenings available every semester at the Student Health Services office as well as raise money for awareness for young adults with cancer.
On Saturday, Oct. 21, Moshood Adams and Taylor Waits were declared Mr. and Ms. UTSA during halftime of UTSA’s homecoming game against Rice. “Being able to represent my university at any place and time would really be an honor to me,” Waits said. “This is my chance to say ‘What do you guys want to see happen? How can we better our home?’” Adams said.
