COLUMBUS — During the home Ohio State football game versus Indiana on Oct. 6, 104,193 fans packed the seats of Ohio Stadium to watch the Buckeyes claim a 49-26 victory on a warm homecoming afternoon, but before kickoff even took place, one Crawford County native stood in front of the crowd more than 111-times larger than his hometown.
Karsen Kaple, a 2015 graduate of Buckeye Central High School and New Washington native, was crowned the 2018 Ohio State University homecoming king. It was an experience he won’t soon forget.
“Completely surreal,” Kaple said. “It was an honor just to have the experience of being a member of homecoming court, and winning homecoming king was an honor that I never had imagined in my wildest dreams. Having my family and my best friends in the audience is especially what made the moment special for me.”
But, before he donned the king’s sash and medal, Kaple had to go through an application process to first make court, and then go for king.
“Court members are chosen based on their leadership qualities, spirit, integrity and achievement through their contributions and involvement at Ohio State,” Kaple said. “The court selection process begins with a paper application. Based on application scores and GPA, individual interviews are offered and conducted by OSU faculty, staff and alumni. The scores from the paper application and interview are combined to determine the homecoming court members.”
After the court is selected, Kaple said court members volunteer and serve as ambassadors at events such as Welcome Week and Homecoming Week.
Though the crowning is decided by a vote by the student body, campaigning is strictly prohibited.
“Instead, all court members should encourage other students to engage in all of the events and activities that occur during Homecoming Week, which includes voting and supporting all 20 court members,” he said.
The experience became even more memorable for Kaple when he heard the name of the queen announced, his friend Miranda Koewler. The two met at OSU’s LeaderShape Institute in August 2017 and have remained good friends since.
“Being able to share this memory with Miranda has made this experience all the more memorable,” Kaple said. “We were totally shocked when our names were announced, as we are the first Homecoming Court ‘pairing’ in OSU’s history to win both King and Queen.”
Kaple said he credits his upbringing for turning him into someone that would attempt to achieve this level of accomplishment.
“I owe everything that I have accomplished to people who have supported me, believed in me and provided me with opportunities,” he said. “From my parents and teachers at Buckeye Central to friends and mentors that I have had at Ohio State, I have been so lucky to have been surrounded by so many inspiring, uplifting individuals.”
He added he wants to be an ambassador for his hometown, as he is for his university.
“I am so proud to represent New Washington and Crawford County, and I am grateful for the opportunities that I have had to advocate for rural communities and first-generation students,” Kaple said. “If anything, I hope that I have inspired other students from Crawford County and from Buckeye Central to be fearless in the pursuit of their dreams and that, even at a large institution such as The Ohio State University, they can find their own sense of purpose and belonging.”
Being a positive representative for Crawford County is something Kaple will be able to continue to strive for as he performs his duties as king, such as volunteering at alumni events and other university events.
Many of his responsibilities include making the overall college experience better for his fellow Buckeyes, a mission he hopes to carry over into his professional life.
“I am currently in the process of applying to graduate school programs for higher education and student affairs, as it is my dream and my passion to become a lifelong advocate for rural communities and first-generation students,” Kaple said. “I hope to one day work with students so that they can cultivate their own sense of purpose and belonging within their own universities, so that they can feel the way that I did on the field last Saturday, the way that I feel right now, and the way that I hope to feel for the rest of my life.”