On Sept. 25, the crowd grew silent, waiting in eager expectation to hear the announcement for Auburn University’s 2021 Miss Homecoming. A voice came out over the speaker: "Lady Frances Hamilton." The crowd erupted with excitement.
A week later, Hamilton is still reeling from the weeks leading up to the announcement.
"I am so humbled to be able to represent the student body in this capacity, but even more than that I am just thankful for the process that we were able to experience to get there," she said.
Hamilton’s platform, “We Can With Lady Fran,” highlighted the Auburn Family. Her goal for Homecoming Week was to portray Auburn University as the home it has been for her over her past three years as a student.
“I was really reminiscing on what I’ve done at Auburn and what I love about Auburn, and I just kept coming back to the word ‘home,’” she said.
Hamilton hails from Nashville, Tennessee. She is currently a senior in public relations, with minors in business and leadership, completing her final year at Auburn. Additionally, she is the president of Auburn Panhellenic, the organization that nominated her for Miss Homecoming.
The focus of Hamilton’s campaign was directed not only at current students but at prospective and former students as well. Each day on the concourse, her campaign highlighted one of these three groups.
"We can make Auburn home for each and every student that attends," she said.
Hamilton stated that her personal objective for the week was to serve as a source of joy on campus. She said she hopes students still feel they can talk to and interact with her even though Homecoming Week has come to an end.
“I really want to be able to continue to see this platform into fruition,” she said.
Hamilton expressed her gratitude and humility in being named Auburn University’s 2021 Miss Homecoming. She said she wants to continue making Auburn’s campus better moving forward.
Hamilton had a meeting with SGA President Rett Waggoner Monday, during which the two discussed ways to expand the role of Miss Homecoming.
"We are currently talking about creating a role for Miss Homecoming within Student Government Association and having a committee of people to help see the platform through," she said.
Hamilton explained that currently Miss Homecoming does not have specific roles on campus beyond Homecoming week. She is looking to change that and extend her influence into the year.
“I still want to be able to get to know students on campus and for them to know that if they have ideas or initiatives or ways that we can make Auburn feel like more of a home to them … we want to make sure that we are doing all we can to make Auburn become their place,” she said.
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Catherine Haynes, junior in journalism, is the opinion editor for the Auburn Plainsman.
