Homecoming royalty is one of the best parts of Homecoming to some students, but in 1997, this event was eliminated due to students throwing the goal post into Lake Laverne after Iowa State defeated Baylor.

In 2006, Homecoming Court was brought back in the form of a scholarship known as the Cardinal Court. 10 hard working students were selected to be on this year’s Cardinal Court on Sept. 29. After being selected, second round interviews were held the following day.

“I have a different set of judges based on who is active around the community in the past,” said Mitchell Moody, Cardinal Court chairman.

In order to apply for the Cardinal Court, you must have a 3.0 GPA or higher, and above 90 Iowa State credits. Moody believes this event will continue to grow each year because more and more people need things to put on their resumes and it is great to be able to say you were the Homecoming king or queen for Iowa State University.

The 10 seniors selected to be on the 2014 Cardinal Court are: Sam Kammermeier, Angadbir Singh Sabherwal, Carter Collins, Eric Lathrop, Austin Fichter, Taylor Vollstedt, Alison Aquino, Stephanie Tigges, Rachel Philiph, and Morgan Bobb.

Sam Kammermeier is majoring in nutritional science. He is involved in many activities, which include being the President of the Interfraternity Council, being part of the peer mentor for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Learning Community, and he works at the cy-BIZ labs in the Research Park. He decided to apply for the Cardinal Court because a lot of his friends were applying and wanted him to apply. He said his best leadership skill is being able to form relationships with everyone and being able to relate to everyone.

Angadbir Singh Sabherwal is majoring in mechanical engineering, economics, and environmental studies. He is very involved at Iowa State, as well as around the globe.  He is involved with Minds of Tomorrow, he conducted food drives and is also involved with Greek life.  He is the youngest person in the world to win the United Nations Youth Achievement Recognition. Along with this, he is a member of Minds of Tomorrow, which is a grant program that partners the College of Engineering with K-12 schools and corporations to increase the pipeline into engineering-related fields. Sabherwal said his best leadership skills are integrity and honesty and also follows an ethical leadership style.

Carter Collins is a journalism and mass communications and political science major. He has participated in Freshman Council as the special events co-chair, College of Ag and Life Sciences’ Bacon Expo as the vendor co-chair, STARS, GSB [Supreme Court and Cabinet], career fair committees, and Alternative Breaks. A good friend talked Collins into applying for the Cardinal Court because of his widespread involvement on campus. As a leader, he said he is skilled at bringing people together and helping them create new friendships. Being able to participate in one of Iowa States oldest traditions was something he could not pass up.

Eric Lathrop is majoring in accounting and marketing. He is currently the president of his fraternity, Phi Kappa Psi. He is also vice president of Ceremonies for Cardinal Key, Senior Class Council for the Student Alumni Leadership Council [SALC], business relations committee for Dance Marathon and a member of Business Council. Lathrop’s goal is to lead by example. He said he is a well-rounded individual and strives to be a role model for others. He thinks this year’s Cardinal Court is unique because each of the members represents a different community here at Iowa State.

Austin Fichter is majoring in agricultural business, economics, finance and international agriculture. Currently, he is the President of FarmHouse Fraternity, leading a small group through the Salt Company, and is playing on the ISU Club Baseball competitive team.  Fichter had heard several stories from people he looked up to that had the honor of being on the Cardinal Court. His favorite part about being on the Cardinal Court is he gets to be involved with one of Iowa State’s strongest traditions. His advice to future applicants is to get involved on campus while still keeping a good balance: doing a great job on a few things is better than doing an average job on too many things.

Taylor Vollstedt is an elementary education major and is very passionate about her sorority and the Greek community as a whole.  She had the opportunity to be a Recruitment Counselor, of Rho Gamma, for 25 girls during the week of recruitment this year. Other organizations she’s involved with include: STARS, Elementary Education peer mentor, Dance Marathon families committee, Order of Omega President, and ISUEA Club [Iowa State University Education Association]. Vollstedt wanted to show off her hard work and dedication to these activities as well as school, which is why she decided to apply to be on the Cardinal Court. She said she has taken 16-18 credits each semester while still managing to do well in school.

Alison Aquino is a kinesiology major with an emphasis in community and public health. She is involved in numerous activities such as: Victim Counselor, youth activity coordinator for the Iowa Homeless Youth Center, is a Certified Nurse Assistant at The Fountains Senior Living Community, and is also a member of a sorority here on campus.  She decided to apply to be on the Cardinal Court because she saw the court as a way to give back by showing ISU and the alumni their hard work and dedication is truly reflecting in the success of their students. 

Stephanie Tigges is an elementary education major with a minor in technology, and is getting her endorsement in special education and reading. She served as the entertainment and religious co-director for Dance Marathon, is a peer mentor for Education Learning Community, and is a part of the Greek community at Iowa State. She said one of her best leadership skills is her flexibility with others. Tigges applied to be a part of the Cardinal Court because as a freshman, she was inspired by seeing all the student leaders who made up the court and made her want to get involved. She wanted to give back to the Ames community along with showing others that hard work does pay off.

Rachel Philiph is a materials engineering major. She is the ambassador for the University Honors Program, is on the executive cabinet for the Engineering Honor Society Tau Beta Pi, and is an undergraduate research assistant for Professor Kaitlin Bratlie in the Materials Engineering Department. She said her best leadership skill is delegating tasks and utilizing the skills of others. She believes being a leader is not about directing people and telling people what to do, rather, it is about showing them your expectations and allowing them to complete tasks in their own way.

Morgan Bobb is a genetics and global resource systems major. After graduation, she plans to attend medical school and serve as a physician in the state of Iowa. Activities she is involved in include: Student Health Advisory Committee, University Honors Program, Cardinal Key, research with Sakaguchi Neuroscience Laboratory, Winterfest, and Freshmen Council. In her free time she enjoys kayaking, visiting national parks, volunteering and baking cookies. Bobb believes the Cardinal Court emphasizes many aspects of what is great about Iowa State such as scholarship, leadership, service, and pride in the university. She is honored to have the opportunity to be a part of such a high-quality group of seniors.

These ten students are all hard working and extremely active on and off campus. Many said their advice for future applicants is to be yourself and answer the essay questions honestly. Each of them emphasized the importance of working toward your goals and having fun with your experience here at Iowa State.