{"id":5667,"date":"2016-09-28T09:38:15","date_gmt":"2016-09-28T14:38:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/?p=5667"},"modified":"2016-09-28T09:39:23","modified_gmt":"2016-09-28T14:39:23","slug":"hyman-outgoing-homecoming-queen-gives-110-percent-sau","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/2016\/hyman-outgoing-homecoming-queen-gives-110-percent-sau\/","title":{"rendered":"Hyman, outgoing Homecoming Queen, gives ‘110 percent’ at SAU"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"mia-hyman-a-mississippi-native-has-succeeded-at-sau\"<\/a>Mia Hyman, a senior marketing major and Southern Arkansas University\u2019s 2015 \u201c100 Years of Homecoming\u201d Queen, said she has enjoyed being an inspiration to other students and feels \u201cbittersweet\u201d about graduating in May.<\/p>\n

Her success is indicative of the enthusiasm that drives many SAU students. Originally from Gulfport, Miss., Hyman serves as president of the Student Activities Board; president of the Student Government Association, and president of the National Pan-Hellenic Council. Describing herself as a \u201cdetermined and hard-working leader\u201d who has sought leadership positions that challenge her to be her best and make an impact, Hyman also serves as vice-president of the Iota Zeta Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha; vice-president of the Ladies\u2019 Club and is a member of the Business Student Advisory Council. She is also former editor of The Bray Online<\/em>. She strives to better herself \u201cby facing new challenges\u201d and \u201cencouraging my peers to be the change they want to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing gets accomplished in your comfort zone,\u201d Hyman said. \u201cYou have to go out and take action first. All it takes is 10 seconds of courage \u2013 take 10 seconds to step outside your comfort zone, and things get done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her story begins in Gulfport, where she lived until after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was there throughout the hurricane,\u201d Hyman said. \u201cI can remember being at my aunt\u2019s house\u2026and looking outside and seeing things flying. It was a little scary, but it was like, \u2018wow.\u2019 The scariest part, for me, was hearing all the shingles flying around, hitting the house.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her father, Millard, was stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base in Jacksonville, Ark. After Katrina, Mia and her twin sister, Mya, left Gulfport to live with him. (Mya attends the University of Central Arkansas.)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were going to move forward (with) a new life,\u201d she said. \u201cI was in about the fifth grade when we moved to the airbase. Then, after a year, we moved to Little Rock. We attended Horace Mann Arts and Science Magnet Middle School and then Parkview Arts and Science Magnet High School.\u201d<\/p>\n

She made the transition to Arkansas fairly easily. \u201cI never had trouble making friends. The base was like a gated community; we made friends and could explore without having to be too cautious.\u201d<\/p>\n

Arkansas introduced her to a different culture. \u201cIt was very different than we were used to. Seeing snow for the first time was very interesting\u2026I loved sledding in winter, customizing my snowman. I appreciate the opportunities I\u2019ve had in Arkansas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Student Council was her \u201cfavorite thing\u201d in high school, a passion she later transferred to SAU. \u201cGoing to retreats, meeting kids from across the state and country \u2013 that was so much fun. I know a lot of students (at SAU) from Student Council.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always loved serving others,\u201d she said. \u201cI dabbled in sports, I cheered my freshman year and in my senior year, I was on the bowling team. What better way to get out of the house?\u201d<\/p>\n

She studied visual arts in the magnet schools she attended and developed a love of photography. \u201cIt was great practice for college,\u201d she said of high school. \u201cWhen I came to college, it was not a big change. I was well-prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hyman chose SAU because of her initial major, communication design. \u201cI liked the fact SAU wasn\u2019t like any other university. A lot of my friends were going to Fayetteville or Jonesboro, but I didn\u2019t want High School, Part Two.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said she loves living in Magnolia. \u201cIt\u2019s quiet and peaceful, so you don\u2019t have to worry about much. You can create your own things to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hyman said she changed her major to marketing, which she\u2019s glad to have done. \u201cI love marketing,\u201d she said. \u201cThe (Rankin College of Business) has been so welcoming to me. I appreciate that I can go talk to the dean, Dr. (Lisa) Toms, and she knows who I am. You can\u2019t do that at many colleges. The faculty and staff really care, and I\u2019ve got such a great support system. I can understand why SAU and the College of Business produce so many fantastic students.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said she is now thinking about a career as an event coordinator. \u201cIt\u2019s what I did throughout middle and high school, and it\u2019s my passion. That\u2019s part of what I love so much about the Student Activities Board \u2013 an organization that focuses on just that. It\u2019s my heaven. It\u2019s stressful, but at the same time, it\u2019s so different, so unpredictable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Making friends, networking, joining organizations and making great memories are all integral to the college experience, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an experience you are supposed to get now<\/em>,\u201d she said. \u201cSome people don\u2019t get involved in anything. They don\u2019t leave their dorm room. Then when they graduate, they wonder why it is so hard to get a job. You have to take advantage of the resources a university has to offer. If you don\u2019t do that, you have only yourself to blame.\u201d<\/p>\n

Working for The Bray<\/em> for two years helped her get outside her comfort zone and network with faculty, staff and students. \u201cIt was stressful at times,\u201d she said of serving as editor, \u201cbut you have to want your job, because there\u2019s always somebody else who wants it, even if you\u2019re just frying fries.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also enjoyed working as a Bray<\/em> photographer, though her passion has shifted to marketing. \u201cI loved meeting people and going to all the different events,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

As 2015 Homecoming Queen, Hyman said has tried to present herself as the best SAU can offer. \u201cIt feels good,\u201d she said of being queen, \u201cbut it was a nervous process. Going out for it, getting nominated, that was all great, but I still had a long way to go. I knew I could mess up, I could bomb. I kept praying, doing the best I could, giving 110 percent.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said she also felt she was \u201cdoing something for African-Americans on campus. I wanted to show that no matter who you are, if you work hard enough, this is what you can do. White, black, international \u2013 you gotta lay it on the line and be real.\u201d<\/p>\n

What would she say to this year\u2019s candidates? \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid to get out there and talk to people \u2013 it\u2019s never too late to sway a vote. And to the King and Queen, I hope they will make appearances, serve students and the school, and make a difference. You are the epitome of the SAU student, and that is an honorable thing. Thank them by showing them you\u2019re going to wear the crown with pride. Show them it\u2019s not something you\u2019re just going to put on a shelf and on your resume. I want to see you around!\u201d<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s presentation of the Homecoming Court and the crowning of the King and Queen will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday before the Mulerider football game at Wilkins Stadium. Hyman will be on hand with last year\u2019s King, Jacob Johnson, to congratulate this year\u2019s royalty.<\/p>\n

To see the full list of activities for the \u201c101 Years of Homecoming,\u201d visit www.SAUmag.edu<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mia Hyman, a senior marketing major and Southern Arkansas University\u2019s 2015 \u201c100 Years of Homecoming\u201d Queen, said she has enjoyed being an inspiration to other students and feels \u201cbittersweet\u201d about graduating in May. Her success is indicative of the enthusiasm that drives many SAU students. Originally from Gulfport, Miss., Hyman serves as president of the… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":564,"featured_media":5668,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[94,32641,7753,143],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5667","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-admissions","8":"category-featured-layout","9":"category-homepage","10":"category-student-life","11":"entry"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/564"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5667"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5667\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.saumag.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}