2021 Gumbo final - Book - Page 114
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homecoming
C
OVID-19 didn’t take away the excitement
mass communication seniors Justin Lorio and
Anna Jones felt when they were announced
Homecoming king and queen.
The two were crowned at halftime during the LSU
Homecoming football game against South Carolina on Oct.
24.
“I genuinely did not expect to win, and I didn’t want to
get my hopes up about anything, so it was definitely very
shocking to me,” Jones said. “It was a very exciting moment
and one that I’m never going to forget.”
“It’s always been, since freshman year, something I have
dreamed of,” Lorio said. “There’s just nothing quite like the
atmosphere of being in Death Valley, and the experience you
get out of being not only an LSU fan, but also a student. It
was definitely a dream come true.”
In previous Homecoming celebrations, the King and
Queen celebrate close together on the football field. Due to
COVID-19 regulations, Lorio and Jones were required to be
six feet apart and wear their masks as they took photographs
in the seating area.
“I looked at my pictures, and I wish you could see the
smile on my face,” Lorio said. “You can see it in the eyes, but
the smile tells the story. That was hard.”
Jones said that even though they were unable to be on the
football field and share the same experiences as previous
Homecoming Kings and Queens, it was still “a very special
experience.”
“I really think that the people on the Student
Homecoming Committee, and the people from LSU Student
Life who put this on worked really, really hard to make sure
that we still had a special day, even though we didn’t get all
of the same things that people normally get,” Jones said. “I
think they went above and beyond to make sure that we still
felt special.”
The Homecoming Court selection is based on “leadership,
service and spirit,” according to the Homecoming Student
Committee. Lorio and Jones have contributed within and
outside of the LSU community through multiple internships
and volunteer work.