Though COVID-19 didn’t allow the campaign season to be as hands-on as everyone had hoped, measures were still taken where students were able to campaign virtually in hopes of becoming Mister/Miss Freshman at Alcorn State University (ASU) for the 2021- 2022 academic school year. This was a very historical moment for ASU and this special class of 2025 entering into the 150th year anniversary of Alcorn and the inaugural year of Kings as Royal Court representatives. Voting took place on Friday, August 20th from 9:00 am to 11:00 am. By 3:00 pm, the results were in and Ta’lor Darby was named Miss Freshman and Cameron Yarber was named the inaugural Mister Freshman.
Miss Freshman, Ta’lor Darby, is a native of Jackson, Mississippi and is a Biology/Pre-Nursing major. She is a 3rd generation Alcornite and a member of Adopt-A-Freshman here on campus. She stated, “I knew I always wanted to run for the position of Miss Freshman. I told myself no matter where I went I was going to run.” She went on to say, “I never told anyone that I was running, not even my parents until the week I began campaigning. I wanted to make my parents proud, so I did my photo and video shoot on my own. I continued to pray and I wanted it bad enough so I pushed myself to do it.” After obtaining her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing, Darby plans to pursue a career as a Pediatric Nurse.
Mr. Freshman, Cameron Yarber, is a native of Jackson, Mississippi and is a Biology/Pre-Medicine major. He is also a member of Men’s Coalition. He stated, “My eagerness to meet new people pushed me to run. With this position, you will come in contact with people cut from all different types of cloths. It also gives me a chance to connect with my classmates.” After graduation, he plans to pursue a career as a Chiropractor or a Real Estate Investor.
Darby lives by a quote from Maya Aneglou that states, “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” She is inspired by her mentor Zariyae Moore. She stated, “Her drive and determination to go after everything she wants motivates me to step out of my comfort zone and go for everything I want in life.”
Yarber is motivated by a quote which states, “Everything will work out in the end.” He expressed that no set person inspires him. He said, “Anybody that finds a way to get it done, no matter the circumstances, is an inspiration to me.”