When LSU and South Carolina made their way to reset during halftime, the Homecoming Court took the field and T’Senre Gray was announced as this year’s Homecoming king.
Gray is a construction management senior, the president of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity and the founder of LSU’s On Geaux Run Club. He also serves as a sergeant in the Louisiana Army National Guard. Hailing all the way from Lansing, Michigan, Gray was crowned king alongside Kalayna Walker as queen.
Gray said he ran for Homecoming king to do something bigger than himself.
“I always want to amplify the community around me because that’s the community that provided for me, as in going to the Boys & Girls Club, having a single-parent mother, and being the oldest of four kids, having to take care of my siblings because my father wasn’t around,” Gray said. “So, just being able to impact the little boys that was just like me, who were a part of this community.”
When his name was announced during Saturday’s game, Gray couldn’t help but start dancing. The positive energy surrounding him on the court, as well as the lively spirit throughout the stadium. In that moment, all he could do was dance.
“I started dancing,” he said. “It was so crazy, there was just so much energy. Just full positivity, smiles, it was joyful for me seeing the crowd and the atmosphere of the stadium being joyful. I took a second to just detach myself and do my little dance.”
During his reign as Homecoming king, he hopes to bring more advocacy to the student body. He wants to expand his impact on students and be a friend to anyone who might need it.
“Just show everyone that they can enjoy and love LSU,” Gray said. “If they are looking for a friend, I am that friend, or I can help find you clubs or organizations that are that for you. We have so much to offer at LSU. LSU is more than just a school. It’s family.”
After his graduation, Gray plans to work for Cajun Industries, an industrial construction contractor, where he is currently interning. He is excited to continue his line of work, hoping to climb the ladder and start working in the same communities that have shaped him.
Gray implores students who want to get involved in campus life to just do it. He wants to be able to help people find their sub-communities within the greater LSU community.
“My advice for anyone who would like to get involved in campus life, I would say, just go up to whatever you see,” Gray said. “You see flyers, you see people just strolling in a circle, as I did within my fraternity. Just go out and research them, text them, DM them. They are people too. You can go out and join those organizations; everybody is very accepting. We’re very diverse, and that’s what makes [LSU] even better.”
