For the Sigma Theta Chi, Homecoming brought two reasons to celebrate: a winning football-themed float and the crowning of a new Homecoming queen. Behind those moments were months of preparation, generations of alumni support and relationships that made the weekend about more than winning.

Ella Jay, a junior communication disorders major from Arlington, served as the club’s Keeper of the Key, where she organized its Homecoming entry, overseeing float construction, song lyrics, choreography and costumes. Although she coordinated the process, she said the club needed help from across the club to bring it together.

Jay said members looked for an ACU tradition audiences would immediately recognize and connect with. Sports offered that connection through tailgates, games and a personal tie: Jay’s great-grandfather played football at ACU.

Her background in choir and dance helped with the performance, but adapting songs into chants presented a different challenge. She chose recognizable tunes, including All I Do Is Win and Britney Spears’ Oops! … I Did It Again, to give the audience something familiar.

During practices, members repeated the routine to clean up choreography and build stamina for the parade. Jay said she emphasized encouragement rather than criticism.

“I feel like I tried to be super positive, which I feel like helped a lot,” she said.

Float-building hours also gave members opportunities to reconnect. While the newest pledge class, PC 57, carried much of the responsibility, older members contributed hours and helped with construction.

Between working with tissue paper and building the float, Jay said members had conversations they might not otherwise have during weekly club meetings.

“It gets surprisingly deep, and I learned a lot about people that I didn’t know,” she said.

Guidance came from previous keepers, too. Jay consulted last year’s keeper and an old binder documenting past projects, drawing on knowledge passed from one leader to the next.

When the club won, she felt both joy and relief.

“My first reaction was just like, all my hard work was worth it,” she said. “Which it would have been worth it even if we hadn’t won.”

That same sense of support shaped the weekend for Sarah Schulze, a senior information systems major from Pflugerville.

Schulze said learning she had been nominated for Homecoming queen came as a surprise. She had not campaigned or known she was being considered before receiving an email.

“I was just happy to be chosen to represent like so many girls and so many women,” Schulze said.

Her father escorted her on the field, adding another memory to her family’s ACU connections. Her grandfather, Paul Schulze, taught physics at the university, and both her parents and her oldest sister attended ACU.

After the announcement, Schulze was eager to celebrate with her father, her family and her fiancé’s family.

For both women, the club’s alumni breakfast was a highlight. Jay said encouragement from returning members helped calm her nerves before the parade. Schulze valued seeing graduates return and reconnect.

“Distance and time can’t sever those relationships,” Schulze said.

Schulze said being named queen was an honor and an opportunity to represent her club and her faith. Her advice to younger students reflected that experience.

“Find a place to serve,” Schulze said, encouraging students to seek organizations they can contribute to rather than focusing only on what they might receive.

For Jay, preparing for Homecoming offered a chance to grow in confidence, learn construction skills and practice delegating responsibilities. Looking back, she hopes to remember the pride of completing something that initially felt overwhelming — and the people who helped her do it.

“Everyone was willing to lend a helping hand,” she said, “and it was just really encouraging.”