Q&A with 2012 Homecoming Court nominees

Leadership, scholarship, personality and poise.

These are only a few of the characteristics five judges will look for in each Homecoming Court nominee before they select the 2012 King and Queen.

Neely Slawson, vice president of the IU Student Athletic Board, said the SAB was involved in marketing the event as well as organizing the interviews and judges.

“This year we had two members from the Kelley School of Business, a member from IU Athletics, [football] Coach [Kevin] Wilson’s wife and someone from the IU Alumni Association,” Slawson said. “It’s a really good mixture of all the organizations that are really a part of Homecoming.”

The SAB helps get the court ready for Friday evening, but other than that, members of the court are left on their own. This year’s court consists of five senior men and five senior females that have been selected for leadership qualities they have displayed in the community.

George Thomas, Jr.
IDS Why did you decide to come to IU?
THOMAS It really was a tight race between Butler and IU. I drove down here one more time, alone, and it was a really pretty autumn day and I just fell in love with the campus. I didn’t really believe that stuff about falling in love with campuses, but it happened for me.

IDS What made you want to apply for Homecoming Court?
THOMAS I actually didn’t know there was court in college, but a friend told me about it and I thought it would be kind of neat to be a part of Homecoming my senior year, to get to see different parts of the school come together. A lot of times, being in a fraternity, you don’t see some of those events. There’s so much going on that week, and you’re not really part of the official IU sanctions.

IDS Do you have any specific plans after graduation?
THOMAS Yeah, my major is broadcast journalism and my concentration is business, so I’m trying to look at the business side of media. I worked for a media company this past summer in New York. They kind of combined a commentary and the business side of things in terms of the way media is becoming. Like a one-stop shop, Fox News would have everything — internet, radio and TV, all that kind of stuff, all kind of in one. But definitely a business focus, and if not, I want to get my MBA and come back to IU.

IDS Could you tell me a little bit about your favorite spot on campus?
THOMAS There’s a lot of favorite spots. It would probably be when you first drive in on Kirkwood, when you see the Sample Gates. I’d also probably say, in that older area of campus, where the Herman B Wells statue is. The statue is so lifelike, it’s almost as if he’s really there. You can really feel the history in that spot. It’s a great welcome to campus.

Wyatt Jackson
IDS What made you want to apply for Homecoming Court?
JACKSON I guess since I was a freshman, I’ve watched this now, like the whole Homecoming week for three years, so getting to be a part of it was something really special. I know for me, when I first arrived at IU, I was kind of a shy and not very outgoing kind of guy. This just kind of shows that I grew as a person. IU is the testament to that.

IDS What do you think makes you a contestant? What do you do that makes you stand out?
JACKSON I mean, there are a lot of great leaders on campus, so finding a group of men and a group of women on campus who stand out is a hard thing to do. I think, you know, a lot of it comes down to the dedication you offer. Not only to the organizations you work for, but it comes down to what you give back to the community. So leaving behind something that’s gonna help other generations, like my work at 21st Century Housing Project and kind of working on re-structuring the dorms or creating new programs within them.

IDS What would being crowned Homecoming King mean to you personally?
JACKSON Personally it would, you know, mark a lot of growth for me. When I first came here I just kind of sat in my room. IU was a really scary place. I graduated with 150 students, so stepping out into 40,000 students was outrageous. Originally I wanted to go to a really small school, the kind where you could learn everybody’s name, but my parents pushed me to apply to IU. I decided I’d give it a semester and realized you can make a large campus small. Its’ definitely what I’ve tried to do.

Jimmy Rizkalla
IDS Name something or someone in your life that has greatly influenced you.
RIZKALLA I would probably say my dad. I really look up to him, he’s always been a great role model for me. He’s always pushing me to do the best I can in school and be social and take leadership positions, so he’s kind of always had my back and is someone I look up to. Hopefully I can end up being somewhere near his caliber.

IDS What would you say your biggest goal in life is?
RIZKALLA I guess, from a career standpoint, I’m planning on going into medicine, so it’s kind of a long and tedious route. I’m kind of excited about it, but at the same time nervous for what I’m about to get myself into. So, from a goal standpoint, just completing all that and ending where I would want to be. I’d be pretty happy about that.

IDS What is your favorite memory from IU?
RIZKALLA I didn’t get season tickets last year for basketball, but when Watford, the Wat shot, when he hit it, I was in my fraternity. I was in a room with like 30 people, and we were all standing on our chairs when he went to shoot it, and right when he shot it we all went crazy. But something happened and the power went out, like someone pulled the plug or something. All of a sudden we were just speechless. We didn’t know if he’d hit it on time or if it counted so we were all running around our fraternity trying to find a TV to catch up on exactly what we’d missed. Once we found out he’d made it, we all ran to Kirkwood. It didn’t matter how cold it was or what we were doing. We sprinted to Kirkwood and watched the madness unfold. It was awesome. I wish I could’ve gone to the game, but I couldn’t have pictured a better way to watch it otherwise.

Adam Friedman
IDS Looking back, did you ever see yourself as being part of Homecoming Court?
FRIEDMAN Sure. I used to be very spirited in high school. I was actually the Spirit King, so I’ve always been into school spirit and things of that nature. I guess I could see this as the natural progression. I was junior Spirit King, but now I’m in the Big Ten Spirit King kind of, in a sense. D1 spirit.

IDS How would you describe your IU experience?
FRIEDMAN I would say I’ve just been trying to lead the quintessential Hoosier experience, whether it’s going to Big Ten football or basketball. I decided to become involved with a fraternity, which a lot of people view as kind of a pretty fun part of college. As I’ve reached the end of my experience, I’ve realized that it’s about two things, at least for me. One is looking forward. I’ve met a lot of alumni from IU, and it’s really exciting to see successful people from IU out in the real world. Also, through being an IU tour guide, I’ve met a lot of potential Hoosiers and, trying to pass the torch on, show them how coming to IU will be the best four years of their life.

IDS What advice would you give incoming Hoosiers?
FRIEDMAN I think, far and away, getting involved. The number one concern I hear on the tour is it’s a 40,000 person school, how’s my student gonna fit in? The dorm floor is the first way to break it down. But through getting involved in activities you definitely break it down into a smaller unit. You meet people you wouldn’t organically meet through your classes or the dorm.

IDS What’s your favorite thing to do on campus?
FRIEDMAN Well I love going to the concerts. One of my favorite memories was the Lil Wayne concert. Originally I didn’t have tickets, but my friend and I scalped tickets at the last minute and actually, for $20, got like an $80 seat, so that was pretty great. I’ve been to at least one or two Little 500 concerts every year amongst others. Looking forward to going to some more good concerts this year.

Chris Port
IDS What do you feel is the most important thing you do on campus?
PORT I’m president of Student Athletic Board. I’ve been involved since I was a freshman. It’s pretty much a 40-hour-a-week job.

IDS What do you think makes you a contestant? What makes you stand out?
PORT I think it’s my love for the University. Wherever I go, I’m a constant ambassador. I’m from West Lafayette, so I’m always trying to convince people to come to IU. Ninety-five percent of the people go to Purdue, but I enjoy it.

IDS What would being crowned Homecoming King mean to you?
PORT It would mean a lot, but it’s not just for myself. It’s for all the people who have helped me get to where I am. There’s been a lot of support through the University, advisers, people in the organizations I take part of. It would mean a lot to them as well as me.

IDS Outside of jobs and organizations, what is your favorite hobby?
PORT Playing basketball. Me and my roommates go to HPER all the time. We play as long as we can until we get worn out.

Amanda Malkowski
IDS What are some of the things you’re involved with on campus?
MALKOWSKI I was a Union Board director on the 2011 board. I was the public relations and marketing director for a year. Before that I was an assistant director for the Canvas committee on Union Board. I’ve interned at WTIU-WFIU here in Bloomington for two semesters. I volunteered at The Pourhouse Cafe and Hoosier Hills Food Bank. I was on the VOICE Report, which was a group effort to do research about what students want out of the University. There were student leaders from all over campus involved.

IDS What made you decide to apply for Homecoming Court?
MALKOWSKI A very good friend of mine won last year, actually. She was a Union Board alumni as well. Caroline (Shurig) was the Live from Bloomington director who did a lot of awesome stuff, and I really admire her. She’s in law school now in California and I thought, ‘You know, she was a good candidate, and she’s someone I admire a lot. It would be good if I could try to be like her in that way.’

IDS What made you decide to come to IU?
MALKOWSKI The journalism school is what made me come. It’s a great school. I loved that the program was small. IU has 40,000 kids, but the journalism program has like 800 or something. It’s a lot smaller, and the honors college is very small as well. I got to have a little bit more of a small class size at a giant university. I think that Bloomington is truly like a quintessential college town. You really get a true college experience that I don’t think you could have at a lot of other schools in the country.

IDS What do you think will be running through your mind Friday before they announce the King and Queen?
MALKOWSKI Oh, quite honestly I’m not too concerned about who wins. I think that all 10 people are people who have given a lot to the University, and I think that’s really what it’s all about. I think it’s kids that really wanted to make the school a better place and got the most out of their experience, and I admire all of them, so I’m not too concerned about who wins or who loses. I’m really flattered just because I think that IU has given me a lot, and this is just a little bit of recognition that I’ve made even a slight difference. And that really means a lot to me.

Courtney Cook
IDS Do you feel as if IU has prepared you for your future outside of college?
COOK I think so. One of the main things I really liked about IU and about my major is that I got to take a lot of classes that gave me experiences I never would have gotten anywhere else. I’m from a small town, so I took some gender and sexuality classes here, and it was a totally different viewpoint. It kind of prepared me for the real world.

IDS If you could change anything about your time here at school, what would it be and why?
COOK I think maybe freshman year. I was just so focused on my classes that I wasn’t as involved, like I didn’t have as much fun with my friends and stuff. I think I would have rather done that a little bit more freshman year at the beginning of college.

IDS What would you say your ultimate goal in life is?
COOK I want to be a genetic counselor. They diagnose and treat medical disorders and work with fertility treatment, things like that. I guess my ultimate goal would be to be able to help people have healthy children and try to eradicate as many genetic diseases as we could. I guess it’s kind of a career and personal goal.

IDS Is there something that not many people know about you?
COOK I think that maybe some things people don’t really know about me is I like to have fun. I’m really kind of goofy and bubbly, but actually have pretty conservative morals. I kind of picture myself as a small-town girl.

Megan Suchoff
IDS What made you decide to apply for Homecoming Court?
SUCHOFF Well, originally one of my roommates came to me, showing me the application on the computer, and she’s like, ‘You need to apply for this.’ I read into it and saw there was leadership, poise, scholarship and other characteristics I thought I really did exhibit. And for me, being Homecoming Queen is more about being a role model for other people at IU. I have had a lot of different experiences that made me the person who I am today, and so I really think that that role model position is special.

IDS Who or what would you say has been the greatest influence in your time here at IU?
SUCHOFF One of my best friends — she’s a year older. She was just this amazing person. She was really a go-getter, very driven and very involved. She was one of the greatest people to be around, so funny. I really look up to her and she’s inspired me to do so much more.

IDS Where do you see yourself in 20 years?
SUCHOFF I see myself reaching towards that executive position in a company because I do really want to do great things.

IDS How does that affect the decisions you make now?
SUCHOFF Well I’m currently a finance and international business major. I really enjoy finance so I’m looking for a job within the finance area of a company and hopefully that will allow me to gain a lot of experiences. Gaining all that experience in different departments will allow me to get a better understanding of the company and that industry as a whole and then, hopefully, I’ll eventually work up to that executive position.

IDS What is your favorite memory from your time at IU?
SUCHOFF I would say my trip to Santiago, Chile. I went with the Emerging Economies program at the Kelley School of Business and it was just a great experience. I was able to see companies who were entrepreneurial and large, multi-national companies and how they operate on an international basis, which is important going forward in any career because there are opportunities for travel, opportunities to expand the markets and stuff. From a learning perspective, that was my favorite memory.

Meredith Torch
IDS What is your dream job?
TORCH I’m not sure if I have a specific dream job, but definitely something combining technology and creativity.

IDS Do you feel prepared for life outside of college?
TORCH Yes, definitely. I’ve been well prepared by Kelley, and I’ve been interning summers, so I’m ready to graduate, go to the real world.

IDS What do you feel is the most valuable experience you have gained from your time here at IU?
TORCH Gosh, it’s hard to pick. It’s probably a toss-up. Being in my sorority, Alpha Delta Pi, has been a very meaningful experience here. It’s been a great leadership opportunity, philanthropy and has introduced me to a lot of really neat people whom I wouldn’t have met otherwise. Also, I would say being involved in IUSF has been really fun. I’ve been able to help put on the Little 500. Not many people can say that.

IDS If you could change anything about your time here at IU, what would it be and why?
TORCH Honestly, I can’t think of anything I would change. If I changed something I wouldn’t be who I am today. I’m happy with all the experiences I’ve had here, good and bad.

IDS If you had to choose a superpower, what would it be?
TORCH Well, I don’t know if wizard skills are a superpower, but I think they are, and I really like Harry Potter. I think it would be cool to cast a spell or transform something. So wizard skills, definitely.

Mary Kate Doherty
IDS If you looked at two pictures of yourself, one from your first year here and one from yesterday, what changes would you see?
DOHERTY I guess I would say I’ve gotten a lot more comfortable, both here and with myself. My freshman year I was kind of on the fringe. I didn’t necessarily get involved in a ton of stuff heavily and now like, you name it, we’ll get there. I love being involved. I love the things that I’m doing. I’m just a lot more established now.

IDS What is one goal you hope to accomplish by the time you’re 40?
DOHERTY I am hoping to get into recruiting, so I’m really hoping by the time I’m 40 that I will have a really strong network and client base and that I’ll be based near my family in Chicago. I would love, professionally, to be in that spot.

IDS Who or what has been the biggest influence in your life?
DOHERTY Well, you’ve got my parents, my mom and my dad. My dad tells me to take every chance I get. My mom is like the voice of reason. She says take every chance, but make sure that you’re being realistic about your goals and what you hope to get out of them. My dad’s the “jump in and don’t look.” My mom is the “let’s think about this for a second.” They’ve been really solid balances in my life in terms of what I’ve done in college and what I hope to do. Another huge influence in my life has been Sarah Booher, the director of the Office of Scholarships. She has just really shaped me professionally into someone that can do things and can be professional about it. She has just helped guide me on a path of what I want to do in my life, and I can’t thank her enough for all her help.

IDS Where is your favorite place to hang out on campus?
DOHERTY Soma Coffeehouse, hands down. You go, you buy a Top O’ the Morning and you sit there. You drink it, you take in the people because the range of people that come in and out of there, it just cracks me up. You can take a good book because it’s always cozy. I’m ashamed to admit that one day I spent five hours there writing a paper and spent about $20 on coffee.