For the ten senior students vying to be named Mr. and Ms. TCU during Saturday’s homecoming game, the process has been just as important as the selection.

The long process started last spring due to this year’s early homecoming. Now, it has almost come to an end for these candidates.

During the spring, TCU students are nominated for Mr. and Ms. TCU through registered student organizations, according to the Homecoming website. The nominated candidates then have to complete an online application in order to be accepted into the process.

The application, essays and resumes are worth 25%. The student body votes the candidates recieve are  50% and will be counted to determine the 10 finalists.

The last phase of the process occurs during the fall semester. This is when the five men and five women will participate in faculty and staff interviews. They are then rated from 50% of their previous scores and 50% for the final interviews.

The final ten candidates will take the field at Saturday’s football game and stand next to their peers that they’ve come to deeply admire and respect.

Although only two will be crowned, each candidate has said they are grateful to be a part of this experience.

Taven Sparks, from Centennial, Colorado, is an entrepreneurial management major. He said he was honored to be nominated with so many outstanding candidates.

“I hope that my peers recognize my love and passion for TCU,” Sparks said. “I hope to have made an impact and given back a fraction of what this incredible university has given to me.”

Speech-language pathology major, Eden Reeves, from Longmont, Colorado said the whole process has given her a chance to grow as a result of the interviews and the professional development that comes along with being nominated for Ms. TCU.

“I will always be grateful for the lessons that I have learned as a Horned Frog,” Reeves said. “I think that the title of Ms. TCU would really be an incredible privilege.”

Ryker Thompson, a business finance major from Stephenville, Texas, said TCU will always have a special place in his heart.

“I am humbled to be recognized as a finalist for the same award that bears the name of some of the students that I look up to most,” Thompson said.

Marketing major McCall Moore, from Chatham, New Jersey, said the time spent undergoing the process has been a unique experience for reflection.

“My time at TCU has been the single most transformative experience of my life,” Moore said. “This student body is full of some of the most influential, perseverant, dedicated and diverse individuals I’ve ever known.”

Biology major Jordan Talley, from Rhome, Texas, said qualifying for Mr. and Ms. TCU top ten finalists feels surreal.

“It is unbelievable to know that I had such a grand impact on my school and my peers,” Talley said. “In college I have attempted to give back to the school that has given me so much.”

Communication studies major, Christopher Pozzi, from Lake Oswego, Oregon said everything he has done at TCU has had a purpose.

“Being able to speak about my experience and really use this time to reflect and grow from them has been incredible,” Pozzi said.

Finance major Nick Warren, from Norman, Oklahoma, said making it into the final 10 meant the world to him. It was something he never expected, but nevertheless found incredibly gratifying.

“TCU is a place that I’ve really loved over the past few years,” Warren said. “I’m just doing my very best to give back and try to help with as many things as I can for a school that’s given me so much.”

Canon Charanza, from Arlington, Texas, is a senior strategic communication major. She said when the Ms. TCU journey began she could never have imagined the amount of love, support, and inspiration that would come of this experience.

“This is an experience and an honor that will stay with me for the rest of my life,” Charanza said. “I have the Horned Frog family to thank for allowing me to represent all of their beautiful stories.”

Biology major Prabhesh Patel, from Gainesville, Texas, said he’s still in shock and disbelief about being nominated and moving onto the final round.

“Even being considered for this award is an absolute honor. This school and people who attend it have shown me nothing but love,” Patel said. “In my four years I’ve come to realize what a huge responsibility we have, TCU’s future really does lie in our hands.”

Kamryn Conway, from Fort Worth, Texas, is a business-finance and marketing major. She said being at TCU has truly changed her life and she’s honored by this opportunity to represent TCU.

“I am truly humbled. The people at this school have shaped me into who I am today,” Conway said. “I would not be here if it weren’t for all of the amazing lives I have gotten to learn from during my time here.”

TCU’s Mr. and Ms. TCU will be announced this Saturday during halftime at the TCU-Iowa State homecoming game.

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