Jacksonville, Alabama (WLJS) --- In their first exclusive interview together since being crowned Jacksonville State University's 2013 Homecoming Queen and King Thursday night on the Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium in Jacksonville, 32-year-old Kenneth Dale Smith, a sophomore from Piedmont majoring in Art, and 20-year-old Kayla Haynes, a junior from Ringgold, Georgia majoring in Chemistry and Biology Pre-Med, sat down with Jacksonville's WLJS 91.9 FM news anchor Ed Moore III Friday to open up about their experience of being crowned, the decisions that led them to run and what they hope their new titles contribute to the community abroad.
Here were Smith's thoughts:
"I think this year, people are realizing that their voices are heard. Kayla and I are probably the least likely [students] to be chosen. A non-traditional student (Smith is 32) and a transfer student, (Haynes is a transfer student from Georgia Southern University) this pair will show that no matter what your age, where you're from, what you do, there is a place for you in this community. I am not going to just let this be a title for me. [I want to] be as active as I can. I looked up to [students like] John Morton. (Morton was JSU's 2012 Homecoming King). Now [that I am homecoming king] I have this as a platform to get involved in the community and not let it end after the game.
"A young lady came up to me and she was literally crying and saying she was proud of me. She was 19 years old. We [non-traditional students] have just the same amount of right as anyone else to experience this. (Non-traditional students at JSU are students who are 25-years-old and up) If I was 32 or 132, I have been able to connect with enough people to vote for me. I am so proud of everybody for believing in me. Each person on the homecoming court is so special. To have that moment with my mom [on the field] and see her laugh, I rarely get to see that from my mom. I am the first person to graduate high school in my family and the first to go to college.
"I thought about the people on Twitter and Facebook who blasted me, whether it’s because of my age, social status or what major I was or was not. I could have given up and let them win. My best friend killed himself from being bullied. I wanted to give my best friend a voice. He no longer has a voice. Now, this represents him and everyone else who says you couldn’t, shouldn’t, wouldn’t. I am living proof. I didn’t let it effect me. I am proud of who I am. I am proud of being a non-traditional student. It’s been such a blessing meeting everyone that I have met since I have been at JSU.
Here were Haynes' thoughts:
"[Thursday night when I won] I heard the 'K' sound and I was getting ready to hug Kristen Dempsey (Dempsey was also in the top 5 for JSU Homecoming Queen) Then I heard 'Haynes.'I said 'I knew that wasn’t me.' My boyfriend, Daniel Marshall, grabbed me and said 'Kayla you got to go over there.' At that point I felt thankful and honored [as well as] happy, but totally shocked.
"At first I didn’t know where I was supposed to go and I didn’t even ask what I was supposed to do because I did not think that I was going to win.
"In high school, the girls that always got everything were the mean girls. I wanted to show everyone that someone who was sweet and caring can win and you don’t have to be vicious [and] dirty. You can follow the rules. I can do this by being kind. I don’t have to be mean. I don’t have to be rude about it and [tell people] they have to vote for me right now.
"I feel my personality --- I’m shy and sensitive. I was bullied a lot in high school. I’m proud of Kenny for going to tell people it’s not okay to be bullied. It shows other people that you can do it and you can stand up for other people. Most of the time, bullies are either jealous or angry with their life. We really need to comfort those bullies because something is going on in their life that makes them hurt other people. I don’t get comfort out of hurting other people. I think everything that Ken is doing is great.
"[Kenneth and I] show that no matter what race you are, no matter what age you are, we are a school. We are a family. We are a melting pot. We love it and we embrace it.
"I really hope that this next year I can be a positive role model to people. I hope that I can walk on campus and be a shining light in their life and always be that girl who whenever somebody needs something, I will be there for them."
This report was made through WLJS News in Jacksonville, Alabama on 10/12/2013 at 1:29 P.M.
