m mthralled by deep discussion; astounded by
their astronomical intellect; perplexity engulfs
I ^ my thoughts. The slightest innuendo doubting
Janora McDujfie and Ashley Cohen’s aptness to repre
sent the University mystifies me. In the presence of two
poised, well-versed, articulate, ambitious individuals,
I proudly prepare to interview the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Homecoming Queen and
King of 1998. Delving beyond color, I intend to reveal
the true reason for their victories. Voted in by the peo
ple of this University, Ashley Cohen and Janora
McDuffie are simply the most qualified persons for the
job. They represent two adept individuals with a plan
who possess the determination and intellect necessary
to implement them, in the hopes of bettering the com
munity in which we all live.
Q: In your opinion, what does Homecoming repre
sent?
Jan: Homecoming means a time for people to celebrate
the time that they have had at the University, to come
back, to re-unite with old friends, and for the people
here to celebrate being here in various ways from the
multi-cultural show to the step show. Now, I’m not
saying that I’m the ideal student, but it’s also a time to
recognize someone who exemplifies the ideal Carolina
student, who is involved on campus, exhibits academ
ic excellence, and takes pride in Carolina.
Ash: It’s a time when alumni can come back and appre
ciate their past, look at what’s going on today, reflect
on how they used to do things and celebrate the way
things are done now.
Q: Please explain your service project and how you
intend to implement your plan.
Jan: It’s called Carolina Rainbows and focuses on
youth celebrating cultural diversity. My goal is to have
about 20 students in the community make a concerted
effort to represent Hispanic youth, a culture which is
generally overlooked among others. I want it to be a
developmental program over time. I guess about five
hours every Saturday in April. The very last time they
meet, there will be a celebration where the participants
will perform a skit to demonstrate what they learned.
The first segment of each session will be learning
about a different culture every week so that the youth
will be able to take pride in being a part of that culture.
Diversity is more than just black and white.
I will incorporate a presentation by a role model of the
“Culture of the Day” for the second part. He/she will
come in and talk about their goals, careers, and suc
cesses so that the students will see someone who is
excelling from their culture.
8
Black Ink