After making it into the final six, Leader of the Pack finalists are now subject to student vote. Vote now at vote.ncsu.edu!

According to Elise Bullard, a junior in psychology and one of last year’s winners of the Leader of the Pack award, the scholarship is an honor.

Leader of the Pack, which is run through the Center for Service, Leadership, Ethics and Public Service, is a tradition unique to N.C. State that focuses on leadership, service and scholarship, Bullard said.

Bullard described the process applicants must go through as thorough. Students who apply for the award start with an application where they are judged on their grade-point average and essays.

“People from all over campus judge the applications,” she said. “Many different eyes look at everything.”

After a cut is made, semi-finalists are then given the chance to do a personal interview, which decides the final six candidates who are then subject to a student vote.

“The student body vote is only worth 20 percent of the overall score,” Bullard said. “That is what separates Leader of the Pack from a traditional homecoming king and queen.”

Students have mixed feelings about the Leader of the Pack tradition.

Ben Copeland, a sophomore in civil engineering, thinks the University should return to homecoming king and queen.

“I like the traditional homecoming queen and king, because it is how it has been done everywhere for so long,” he said. “I think it’s good because they are evaluated on their school work and everything, but I like the tradition.”

Desmond Stephens, a freshman in agriculture education, disagrees with Copeland and supports the award.

“[Leader of the Pack] gives the honor to students who deserve it unlike the traditional homecoming queen and king, which is a popularity contest,” he said. “It helps show the best academic students that State has to show instead of the most popular.”

Both Stephens and Copeland plan on voting if the finalists make themselves more known.

“Honestly, I don’t know who is running,” Copeland said.

“If they show the credentials of the students running for the Leader of the Pack, then I will vote,” Stephens said.

According to Bullard, the campaign rules for the award are very similar to other on-campus elections.

“The rules are the same, except finalists are only allowed to spend $100,” she said. “This shows the leadership and service, and promotes what the whole process is all about.”

After the votes are tallied, the winners will be announced during half time of the football game on Saturday.

According to Bullard, the winners then inherit some responsibilities along with the title. The winners will become part of the Leader of the Pack committee where they will handle everything from getting the word out about applications to some logistics on game day, but do not have a say in the winners of the award.

Bullard spoke highly of this year’s candidates.

“They are a very well-rounded group of students that come from all different sectors on campus,” she said. “It is neat to see because they are all great leaders, community servants and are outstanding students.”

The finalists will meet in front of Carter-Finley Stadium before the game to take pictures. They will then spend the first half of the game in the Chancellor’s box where they will be honored in front of trustees and former student body presidents before taking the field to hear the announcement, Bullard said.

“No matter what happens, they are all winners and it is an honor to be where they are,” she said. ” I would tell them just take a breath and enjoy the day. It is really an awesome experience.”