{"id":32087,"date":"2025-11-01T23:14:16","date_gmt":"2025-11-02T03:14:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/?p=32087"},"modified":"2025-11-01T23:15:30","modified_gmt":"2025-11-02T03:15:30","slug":"two-local-students-selected-as-homecoming-queen-and-king-at-tusculum-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/news\/2025\/two-local-students-selected-as-homecoming-queen-and-king-at-tusculum-university\/","title":{"rendered":"Two local students selected as Homecoming queen and king at Tusculum University"},"content":{"rendered":"

GREENEVILLE<\/strong> \u2013 Two local Tusculum University<\/a> seniors added a special title Saturday, Nov. 1, to their growing list of achievements at the higher education institution.<\/h3>\n
\"Emily

Emily Head, right, and Jerry Ricker were named Homecoming queen and king, respectively.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Left

Left to right, Starr Hummel, Jerry Ricker, Emily Head and Dr. Scott Hummel pose after the crowning ceremony.<\/p><\/div>\n

Emily Head, a resident of Gray, and Jerry Ricker, a resident of Kingsport, were named Homecoming queen and king, respectively, during halftime of the Tusculum Pioneers<\/a> football<\/a> game. She is pursuing a bachelor\u2019s degree in business administration<\/a> and a minor in digital marketing, and he is seeking a bachelor\u2019s in sport science pre-physical therapy\/occupational therapy.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means a lot because I was not expecting to be named queen,\u201d Head said. \u201cI just always want to help other people, and being named queen means a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Head attributes her selection to the activities in which she is involved. She is captain of the cheer<\/a> team and a mentor for Student Support Services<\/a>, a free program that assists students whose parents or guardians do not have a bachelor\u2019s 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<\/a> from Tusculum.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s cross country team<\/a>. He has also served on the summer staff for he Upward Bound<\/a> and Upward Bound Math and Science<\/a> Summer Academy.<\/p>\n

The son of Steven Ricker, he plans to continue his studies at Tusculum after graduating by enrolling in the Master of Arts in Teaching<\/a> program for secondary education 6-12. Ricker also plans to become a graduate assistant for the cross country team.<\/p>\n

\"Homecoming

Homecoming court members gather for a photo after the ceremony. Missing are court members who are on the football team and returned to game action.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Cheyenne

Cheyenne Hewitt, right, and Rio Little were named junior class princess and prince, respectively.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cBeing a senior and winning king means everything,\u201d Ricker said. \u201cI\u2019ve watched the Homecoming court every year for four years running now. I appreciate all the support from everyone and from the school.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Hewitt is a communication<\/a> major with a theater concentration and won the Curtis \u201928 and Billie Owens Literary Prize for fiction earlier this year. She is a member of the quizbowl and debate teams and has been involved in Tusculum\u2019s theater program.<\/p>\n

Little is a sport science<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

The remainder of the court and their hometowns are:<\/p>\n

Freshmen<\/strong><\/p>\n