On Saturday, Florida Atlantic University announced Elijah Roberson and Tabatha Spinks as 2025 Homecoming Royals, and Jamahl Hanna and Danielle Jerkins as Soaring Royals during the <\/span>Homecoming<\/span><\/a> football game against the University of Tulsa\u2019s Golden Hurricanes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This announcement served as the end of FAU\u2019s 2025 Homecoming week, hosted by FAU\u2019s <\/span>Student Government<\/span><\/a>. From hosting fireworks shows to FAU\u2019s <\/span>Program Board<\/span><\/a> honoring veterans with a 5k run, the two-week-long annual Homecoming celebration is an event where alumni can return to their alma mater and reconnect with the campus.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Homecoming Week officially culminated this Saturday, welcoming four students who were chosen to represent FAU going forward. With a total of 14 nominees, students spent the past 10 days campaigning to win the hearts of their fellow voters.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Hearing his name officially announced as the male Homecoming Royal, Elijah Roberson immediately paused to think about the communities that had gotten him to this place, as well as his faith.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Becoming the first member of <\/span>Phi Beta Sigma<\/span><\/a>, a historically Black Fraternity, to ever win FAU\u2019s Homecoming Royal King, Roberson, a senior in political science, made history.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Holding multiple roles on campus, such as being the Vice President of the<\/span> Black Student Union<\/span><\/a>, the Membership Chair of the <\/span>National Council of Negro Women<\/span><\/a>, and the secretary for the Alpha Delta Iota chapter, FAU\u2019s extension of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Roberson garnered a lot of support during his official campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n Centering his campaign on representation and leadership, Roberson utilized social media and tabling to reach out to FAU\u2019s student body. Roberson was inspired to run for Homecoming Court because he wanted to be a visible leader on FAU\u2019s campus, representing all the fraternities and clubs he\u2019s a part of.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWho are you when you step on this campus?\u201d said Roberson. \u201cWhen someone sees me, they say, \u2018That\u2019s Student Government.\u2019 When someone sees me, they say, \u2018That\u2019s Black Student Union.\u2019 When someone sees me, they say, \u201cThat\u2019s Sigma, they see a leader on campus that they can follow\u2026 someone they can get inspiration from.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Winning this Saturday wasn\u2019t just about FAU. While campaigning, Roberson\u2019s personal life weighed heavily on his plans; he took the utmost appreciation in representing his grandparents when he won.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBefore the day of Homecoming, I buried my grandfather, and this is the week of the anniversary of my grandmother passing,\u201d said Roberson. \u201cSo I stand on their shoulders to be here and to represent them, my family, my organizations, everybody, because it takes a lot, it takes a lot to stand here\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Alongside Roberson, for the win of the female 2025 Homecoming Royalty, stood Tabatha Spinks. A biological sciences senior, Spinks became the first woman from the <\/span>College Panhellenic Association<\/span><\/a> to win a crown in over 12 years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cShocked,\u201d said Spinks, as she described her initial reaction to winning. \u201c I was crying my eyes out, because it\u2019s such an amazing accomplishment\u2026 so I officially broke the record.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Spinks had previously run for Homecoming Court in 2024, but did not win. Finally taking home the crown this year, Spinks credits her win to her ability to personally connect with voters.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n She was inspired to run for homecoming because she had also run for homecoming in high school<\/span>,<\/span> and she wanted to leave FAU with no regrets, fully embracing the campus tradition.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cLast year, the interviews were a little bit different,\u201d Spinks said. \u201cIt was more of a submission video. This year, I had an actual interview with people, and I was really able to express myself\u2026I was able to let my personality shine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Now that she\u2019s won, Spinks plans to represent FAU as homecoming queen by encouraging others to get involved. Excited to return to campus once she graduates, Spinks looks forward to future events and supporting her sorority, <\/span>Alpha Delta Pi<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n For the first time, FAU\u2019s Homecoming Court introduced a new category, Soaring Royals, a crown reserved for underclassmen only. As the first-ever winners of this new addition, Jamahl Hanna and Danielle Jerkins made history.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Jamahl Hanna, a sophomore film student, had a more unconventional journey to becoming the first male to win Homing Court\u2019s Soaring Royal. Hanna expressed that he was a little surprised when he won, due to his engagement with students through conversation around campus rather than focusing on social media.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Hanna built connections on FAU\u2019s Breezeway, but also focused on interpersonal connections. Hanna found support through serving as a chair on the Program Board, connecting with his classmates, attending events, and even tailgating. He found himself emceeing FAU\u2019s biggest events, such as this year\u2019s Bonfire Music Festival<\/span>.<\/span> According to a previous University Press <\/span>article<\/span><\/a>, he also emceed Program Board and Fashion Forward\u2019s fashion show in October.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis world has become more so about the technological and the social media side\u2026but I failed to realize that fate brought me here by just being kind to a lot of people beforehand, or even going out for Homecoming. I was just around a lot of people,\u201d said Hanna.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cAs you can see from me winning, it\u2019s all because of people working together to help me. A lot of people told me that they were putting my name in certain places, and, you know, bringing me up in certain places, even when it wasn\u2019t even about me,\u201d said Hanna. \u201cThey just did it, and it brought me into the circle enough to where they [students] voted for me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Hanna\u2019s Soaring Royal win is more than just a crown; it\u2019s a way to give back to the school that helped him find his way when he was new.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI think that being the Soaring Royal at FAU is leading with your heart, leading with kindness, and being there for the people that you swear to protect and help out,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is a learning institution, and we all want the best for each other, because we are the next generation coming up.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Danielle Jerkins, a freshman elementary education major, became FAU\u2019s Homecoming Court\u2019s first female Soaring Royal. Jerkins discovered the new category through <\/span>FAU\u2019s Legacy 61<\/span><\/a>, an immersive retreat that allows new students to expand their wings into the FAU community.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Jerkins highlighted that not once did she feel like the Homecoming Court room was competitive or negative; instead, they all helped each other out when they got the chance. Perkins spent the week leading up to the announcement by tabling on the Breezeway, with help from Roberson and Anasia Been, another Soaring Royal candidate, who helped her get her name out to the campus.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s [Soaring Royal] very special to be like the first generation of winners,\u201d Jerkins said. \u201cThis moment means so much to me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n She said she hopes her win inspires other freshmen to get involved and believe in their own potential.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to represent the freshmen by being a leader,\u201d Jerkins said. \u201cI want to get involved in as much as I can, get my face out there, for all the freshmen\u2026to know that even though you\u2019re young and just getting here, you can still make an impact.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Kaii Thompson is the Culture Reporter for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email <\/span><\/i>[email\u00a0protected]<\/span><\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n