Kayla Griffith honored as ETSU’s Homecoming Queen

By WILL STEWART / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

Former Warren County High School standout Kayla Griffith was crowned 2003 ETSU Homecoming Queen earlier this month. Seen beside her is Homecoming King Andrew Heffern. (Photo provided)

The brains and beauty of former Warren County High School standout Kayla Griffith combined recently to make her one of the most celebrated students at East Tennessee State University.

A senior at the Johnson City university, Griffith has won a national scholarship and award and was recently crowned the school’s Homecoming Queen.

Elected queen by the entire ETSU student body, Griffith, a member of Kappa Delta Sorority, ran for the honor as part of a ticket with king candidate and Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity member Andrew Heffern. The pair was crowned during halftime festivities of the university’s homecoming game against Liberty University on Oct. 18.

“It was a huge honor being named Homecoming Queen,” Griffith said. “I truly love East Tennessee State University and all that it represents, and to be selected to represent the students and the university as their queen is an amazing privilege.”

Since ETSU’s football program will be disbanded after this season, it is possible Griffith will be the school’s last Homecoming Queen.

On the academic and service side, she showed her scholastic merit as she was named one of only four college women in the country to receive the $4,000 Kappa Delta Sorority Founders’ Scholarship. She was selected for the prestigious scholarship after enduring a rigorous application process.

Griffith was also one of 15 recipients of the 2003 Kappa Delta Sorority Stegall Leadership Award, an award presented to a sorority member who shows leadership on her campus and in her sorority while achieving scholastic excellence. She was chosen for the award by a national selection committee from among 150 to 200 of the top Kappa Deltas across the country.

She described the scholarship and award as two of the greatest honors of her life.

Set to graduate in May with a degree in biology, Griffith said she will enroll in medical school next fall, most likely ETSU’s James H. Quillen College of Medicine.