The anticipation for Temple University’s 2009 Homecoming King and Queen officially came to an end Oct. 17. That night, junior Darryn Jarrel Lee and senior Candace Moses were crowned this year’s Homecoming King and Queen.
Lee and Moses were both involved with the Temple community before donning their crowns.
Darryn Jarrel Lee
A resident of Compton/Long Beach, California, Lee is a double-major in International Business and Finance with a specialization in Spanish and Latin American Studies for Business.
“I feel great about being Homecoming King because I have the sense that the students selected an individual that they truly feel would do their part on campus, and off,” Lee said. He said the position was a huge responsibility and he will not disappoint the University.
“I decided to run for Homecoming King because I knew that the purpose of this year’s Homecoming King [and] Queen is to help bridge the gap between the local Temple community and the broader Philadelphia community, which I knew I was able to do from my past experiences in the Philadelphia community,” he said, adding that he has been involved since he came to Temple.
Lee recounted volunteering at the YMCA on Broad and Jefferson streets, teaching at-risk youth sports, raising AIDS, autism and breast cancer awareness and participating in neighborhood cleanups as a residence assistant.
“Currently, I’m working with Assistant Dean Jeffrey Montague on establishing a program geared towards assisting black male youth with higher and international educational opportunities,” he said.
After Temple, Lee said he plans to pursue a job on Wall Street with a top-tier investment management firm, while simultaneously pursuing his chartered financial analyst certification before attending business school.
Though his goals keep him busy, Lee wasn’t deterred form running for Homecoming King.
“The campaign for Homecoming King was definitely tiresome, for I went two weeks with little sleep. During election week, I had three tests and two papers, so that added to the anxiety, but instilled in me a deeper sense of satisfaction once I was crowned,” he said. “This campaign enabled me to recognize my limits and what I am able to do when I am thoroughly challenged.”
Candace Moses
Homecoming Queen Candace Moses is also no stranger to juggling numerous responsibilities.
A native of Brooklyn, Moses is a double-major in Sociology and African American Studies.
“Becoming Homecoming Queen is a dream come true,” she said. “It always feels wonderful to work really hard and pray about something and it actually comes to you.”
She noted that she had wanted to be Homecoming Queen since her freshman year but decided to wait until her senior year when she felt she had served the Temple community enough.
“I have contributed all of my time, energy and love to this university,” Moses said.
Moses’ volunteer and community service resume includes protesting with the Black Student Union for the Jena Six, serving on Temple Student Government’s Student Life Committee, planning events as the events chairwoman for Main Campus Program Board, and involvement with Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, Delta Mu chapter.
Moses said she will more than likely teach after she graduates but also has a feeling she will end up in politics.
She said she wanted to personalize herself to students for her campaign for Homecoming Queen.
“I had two slogans, ‘Vote for the fro!’ and ‘A new kind of Queen,” she said. “’Vote for the fro!’ came about because I have an afro and I knew that students needed a quick way to remember me. My afro is also my symbol for being real and connected to this earth, so when I say vote for the fro I also mean vote for the truth. ‘A new kind of Queen’ meant two things – one, I have never seen a Black homecoming queen since my freshman year and two that I have no intention of fading in the background.”
Like Lee, Moses expressed satisfaction with her campaign.
“I did not sleep much during this campaign,” she said. “But it was certainly worth it in the end.”
Lena Van can be reached at lena.van@temple.edu
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