Texas A&M International University hosted its annual Mr. & Ms. TAMIU event on Saturday, February 11th. Since 2011, it has been hosted every spring semester.
It is an opportunity for students to demonstrate their excellence in academics, commitment to service and leadership, and the pride they hold towards their beloved university.
Applying for Mr. & Ms. TAMIU requires students to complete an online application. In order to apply students must be upperclassmen (juniors or seniors), have a minimum GPA of 2.5, and be in good standing with the University.
Once they have met this criteria, students are officially approved by the Office of Student Orientation, Leadership and Engagement (SOLE) to participate in the running for Mr. & Ms. TAMIU.
Typically, students choose to run with a partner. However, this year we had a total of 4 pairs and one individual runner.
The candidates for the 2017 year were: Andrea Gonzalez De La Cruz (individual runner; senior, special education major), Cesar Esquivel (Senior, criminal justice major and psychology minor) and Franchesca Ramirez (junior, psychology major); Priscilla Martinez (junior, communication major) and Benito “Tony” Bondoc (junior, communication major); Valerie Nunez (senior, communication major) & Ryan Hodgson (senior, business administration major); Teresa Vela (sophomore, nursing major) and Ruben Enriquez (senior, business management major).
The candidates campaigned during the university’s celebration of Spirit Week. They hosted different events during the week to show their spirit and pride.
Throughout the week, students enrolled at TAMIU were asked to vote for their favorite candidates via CollegiateLink.
The coronation for Mr. & Ms. TAMIU 2017 was held on the last day of Spirit Week, which finished with the women’s and men’s basketball games.
The candidates were all introduced at halftime during the Men’s basketball game.
After the TAMIU men’s basketball team took the win over Oklahoma Christian University, it was time to see which two candidates would be the lucky winners.
While the candidates stood nervously in front and center the first runner-ups were named. Priscilla Martinez and Tony Bondoc were named as first runner-ups.
The atmosphere grew with anticipation as the crowd waited to see who would take home the crown.
Ryan Hodgson and Valerie Nunez were then announced as Mr. & Ms. TAMIU 2017. They will now serve as TAMIU ambassadors and represent our university in a variety of community events until next spring.
