Delegate Sean Hornbuckle, a son of Marshall, spoke on the impact Marshall’s graduates will have on West Virginia’s future at the Unity Walk yesterday, Sept. 25. In his keynote speech at the event, he said that the Unity Walk shows that Marshall students “will be able to pour into the Tri-State region more than ever,” even after graduation.

The Unity Walk is the first official event of Homecoming week at Marshall. According to Dr. Marcie Simms, the event’s organizer and vice president for intercultural and student affairs, the Unity Walk has grown every year—not just from students but also the campus community as a whole.

“Homecoming, to me, means friends, family, fun and food, and we have all of that at the Unity Walk,” she said.

Hornbuckled emphasized this idea of unity in his speech, particularly in today’s society, quoting Stephen Covey as saying, “Strength lies in differences, not in similarities.” He also referenced his position in the state legislature, telling the crowd that “it is about time we do something transformative together.”

Hornbuckle went on to cite his time as Student Government Association President as an inspiration for his role as keynote speaker, saying that experience allowed him to genuinely be part of many different groups.

The Unity Walk concluded with the announcement of not only the winner of the Unity Walk’s banner contest, fraternity Alpha Sigma Phi, but also the announcement of this year’s homecoming court.

The rest of this year’s homecoming events—including a parade, pep rally and the football game—can be found at https://www.marshall.edu/homecoming/events/.  

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Abigail Cutlip

Homecoming royalty was announced after the 2023 Unity Walk.