As a young girl, Ellie Korotky watched Auburn take on the University of Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks during the 2008 homecoming game. That day, Korotky was dressed in an Auburn cheerleader uniform, and her father, Jeff Korotky, pinned a corsage on it.
Fifteen years later, Korotky, now a senior in nutrition dietetics at Auburn, said that moment had come full circle as she stood waiting for the Miss Homecoming announcement during the Samford game in her Tiger Paws uniform and corsage pinned on by her father.
Moments later, it was her name that would be announced as Auburn University’s 2023-24 Miss Homecoming, and it would leave her with what she called an “indescribable feeling.”
“Here I was, so many years later, wearing my dance team uniform with a corsage and my dad escorting me,” Korotky said. “It was really a full circle moment that was filled with excitement, and it’s really just an honor.”
Korotky ran on a platform of inclusivity of those with mental and physical disabilities. Her platform, called “Encourage with Ellie,” was based on three tenets set out by the organization Down Syndrome Alabama: awareness, acceptance and advocacy.
“I really wanted to educate the student body on what Down syndrome is and then show everyone my acceptance and encourage them to go out and advocate for individuals with Down syndrome,” Korotky said.
Leading up to the game that day, Korotky participated in all the typical Tiger Paws pregame activities like Tiger Walk and Spirit March. She then carried on and danced the entirety of the first quarter in front of the alumni section before dancing for most of the second quarter in front of the student section.
She said the transition over to the student section really made her nervous. Standing in front of many faces she had campaigned in front of and she knew had voted for Miss Homecoming made the moment more tense than before.
Eventually, the other Miss Homecoming nominees made their way to the field, and Korotky broke off from Tiger Paws to join them. She said she was able to calm down a bit leading into halftime as she stood beside the man who had pinned a corsage onto her cheerleader uniform so long ago – her father.
Ellie Korotky stands with her father Jeff Korotky during the homecoming game against Samford University on Sept. 16.
As the Auburn University Marching Band played on, Korotky’s nerves were further alleviated and instead of being worried about the outcome, her mindset became one of gratitude for the opportunity.
“I remembered, ‘this is just a fun thing.’ In the end, it was just an honor to be a top five candidate, so no matter what the outcome was, I was just so excited,” Korotky said. “My nervousness went into an excitement no matter what the outcome was going to be.”
While her platform was designed to encourage others, she said she found herself encouraged by the Auburn family.
“Hearing my name and then hearing the crowd chant and scream and get excited was really comforting,” Korotky said. “It was really encouraging to feel all that support I had from people who [I] did and did not know.”
Korotky said that while Miss Homecoming did not have any specific duties to carry out, she was honored to be chosen as a representative for the University now and for years to come.
In the week following the Miss Homecoming announcement, Korotky said she really felt the love of the Auburn family throughout campus.
“[The Monday after homecoming], I was walking through campus backwards because I’m giving a tour, and there were so many people that walked by and were like, ‘y’all’s tour guide is Miss Homecoming,’ or ‘Ellie, congratulations!’” Korotky said. “It was really exciting to see so many different people congratulate me and also see people who I didn’t know.”
She said she was not used to hearing her name so often in public and that it was an honor to know that people recognized her and her platform.
“I’m really just honored [to be Miss Homecoming],” Korotky said. “I’ve been an Auburn fan my entire life, so I never would have thought when I was younger that I would get to have this position and be able to represent Auburn in such a unique way.”
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Tucker Massey, junior in journalism, is the content editor for The Auburn Plainsman.
