Neil Macke (back row, second from right) was crowned Homecoming king at Bluffton University on Oct. 12, while Tamara Al-Sammarraie (front row, second from right) and Lindsay Krohn (front row, second from left) shared Homecoming queen honors.

Joining them in the Homecoming court were (left to right) juniors Katie Conrad and Jason Trespel; seniors Christian Vail, Mackenzie Richards, Ben Roeschley and Abbey Graber; and sophomores Colten Kelso and Alicia Rodriguez.

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Neil Macke of Ottawa, was crowned Bluffton University’s Homecoming king before the annual Homecoming football game on Oct. 12, while fellow seniors Tamara Al-Sammarraie of Baghdad, Iraq, and Lindsay Krohn of Marysville, Ind., shared Homecoming queen honors.

Other seniors in the Homecoming court were Ben Roeschley of Graymont, Ill.; Christian Vail of Lucas; Abbey Graber of Archbold; and Mackenzie Richards of Covington. Junior attendants were Jason Trespel of Galion, and Katie Conrad of New Carlisle, while sophomore attendants were Colten Kelso of Coshocton, and Alicia Rodriguez of Desert Hills, Ariz.

Neil Macke

Macke, a music business major, is president of Camerata Singers and a member of the Gospel Choir and the Cabaret for a Cause—and Homecoming—planning committees. The current Marbeck Center Board chair, he has been in the cast of two May Day musicals on campus and is in charge of sound for “Well,” this year’s fall play. Also on May Day, he was a Maypole dancer as a first-year student and the male junior chairperson last spring. He is the son of Ted and Nancy Macke and plans to pursue a career in the music industry, with hopes of moving to Chicago or Nashville.

Tamara Al-Sammarraie

Majoring in early childhood education, Al-Sammarraie is vice president of Student Senate and a member of International Connection and the Student Alumni Association. She has also been a mentor both in Project H.O.M.E. (Hope, Opportunity, Mentorship and Education), a mentorship program for students of color, and in Bluffton’s Becoming a Scholar course for first-year students. She hopes to become an elementary teacher.

Lindsay Krohn

Krohn is involved in the student-sponsored service group SERVE and in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), in addition to being a member of the volleyball team, a Student Ambassador and a resident adviser. Majoring in middle childhood education, she plans to teach, possibly in the Cincinnati area.

Roeschley is majoring in accounting and business administration. He is Bren-Dell Hall director this year and a member of the baseball team, the Bluffton University Business Leaders and the P.E.A.C.E. (Peace Education and Action Community Endeavor) Club. The son of Mark and Jane Roeschley, he plans to continue studying accounting in graduate school next year.

Vail is an early childhood education major who would like to teach first or second grade in the Columbus area. On campus, he is a member of the baseball team and a resident adviser.

Graber is an intervention specialist major who would like to pursue a career working with individuals with intellectual disabilities. A sociology minor, she is active in SERVE, FCA, Special Olympics and intramurals, and was among the three students who portrayed Bluffton mascot J. Denny Beaver in 2012-13.

Richards wants to teach high school Spanish after completing her major in Spanish education and minor in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). Last spring, she studied in Costa Rica with the Latin American Studies Program. On campus, she is a member of the Spanish Club, SERVE, the Gospel Choir and the Spiritual Life Week planning committee, as well as a student worker in the advancement office.

A history major who is minoring in pre-law, Trespel is president of Bluffton’s history club, the People’s Movement for the Advancement of History. He is also a member of the Worship Dance Team and active in International Connection.

Conrad is also active with the Worship Dance Team and International Connection, and with SERVE and the Bluffton University Nutrition Association. She is majoring in food and nutrition—with a concentration in dietetics—and minoring in public health. In addition, she is a hall chaplain and is studying harp.

Kelso, who is majoring in chemistry and physics, is a member of the Science Club and the football team, as well as a resident adviser.

Rodriguez is a double major, in food and nutrition—with a concentration in dietetics—and public health. She is treasurer of the Bluffton University Nutrition Association, a Student Ambassador and a Musselman Library assistant. She is also a member of the Spiritual Life Week planning committee and the Marbeck Center Board, and active in multicultural affairs.