By Vantage Staff
Newman University got a new king and queen on Wednesday night.
During halftime of the men’s basketball game vs. Nebraska Kearney, seniors Juan Cordova and Andrea Fuentes were named homecoming king and queen for 2025, elected by students who last week voted via email ballots.
Though both Newman basketball teams lost their games against Nebraska Kearney — the women 42-69 and the men 66-79 — the crowd was excited about the new royalty.
Fuentes, a senior, is a first-generation college student who grew up in Wichita and went to Bishop Carroll Catholic High School.
She’s a resident assistant at Fugate Hall and is a member of the cheer and dance team. Fuentes also has internships with the Wichita Thunder hockey team and at the Student Success Center on campus, and she works with Newman’s University Relations.
Fuentes, who is a marketing major with a minor in data analytics, said that she plans to get her master’s degree in data science at Newman after she graduates in the spring.
She said she’s enjoyed meeting so many people during her four years at Newman, including Cordova, who she said is one of her best friends.
He came to Newman from Guayaquil, Ecuador, to play soccer four years ago. He thought about leaving after his first year, but now, he said, he’s glad he didn’t. While at Newman, he was a soccer star and this year, as goalkeeper, he broke the school record for total career saves.
Cordova is a business management major who worked in the library and the cafeteria.
He said he’d like to offer encouragement to other international students at Newman.
“Keep trying,” he said. “Things are hard at the beginning because you leave family and leave everything and everything is new. But Newman is amazing. Everyone makes you feel like family, and you’re going to enjoy it.”
PHOTO: Courtesy Dannicka McGrath, Photo Editor
