During halftime of the homecoming football game on Saturday, Junior Omar Herrera was crowned as the 2018 Tarleton State University Homecoming King by the previous homecoming king, senior Art Hernandez.

Herrera is from Navasota, Texas. Before graduating from High School, Herrera looked into two different campuses. The first was Tarleton and the second was Sam Huston State University. Herrera decided that he should go to Sam Houston State because it was closer to home and to his family. However, at the last minute, Herrera decided to tour the Tarleton campus and he fell in love.

“There was so much that Tarleton had to offer, such as being student driven and traditions,” explained Herrera. “I just knew from the get go that this is where I wanted to be.”

Herrera is a Wildlife Science major with a minor in Spanish. He hopes to one day be a Wildlife Biologist and work for the Texas Parks and Wildlife. This job will allow for him to travel Texas and photograph different types of animals, which is his passion

Over the course of Herrera primary school education, he did not have many friends. He explained that he was not popular and had mostly female friends. This impacted how he related to animals. One of his most beloved pets was his cat Anabelle. Anabelle was a great source of comfort for Herrera during some of his darkest times. Upon Anabelle’s death, Herrera knew that his future career would have to involve his passion for animals. Herrera later got his dog, Peach, who would continue to help him through his difficult experiences. Furthermore, he also came to own doves, parrots and even have 38 guinea pigs, which he called his “Guinea Pig Farm.”

However, when Herrera came to college he had to leave his pets behind. Coming into college Herrera found it difficult to open up to other students, especially to the male population because of his lack of male friends in high school. Then he found FarmHouse. Joining a fraternity changed the game for Herrera. Herrera was able to bond with other males and form a brotherhood that he had never experienced. Herrera’s love for the fraternity is evident when he talks about his big brother in the fraternity, Luke Munchrath. Herrera especially loves that they have been able to talk about the personal struggles that have been occurring in their lives. The bond that Herrera and Munchrath share means the world to Herrera.

 “We both want to see each other strive and we make sure that we are both doing well. It is a really good bond that we share,” explained Herrera.

Being in FarmHouse has tremendously helped Herrera to feel accepted. He is the Song Chair and the Historian for Farm House, and he takes both of these leadership positions seriously. This year, Herrera was able to lead his fraternity in the Yell Contest, which is Herrera’s favorite tradition. Among this, he has also been a Tarleton Transition Mentor for two years, a Grassburr Content Editor and he finds time for hobbies. Herrera favorite pastime is to learn about the different types of whales.

Additionally, Herrera favorite Core Value is integrity. This value hits close to home for Herrera because it is about staying true to oneself. He has struggled at times for not being accepted by others, yet he has not let this struggle stop him from being true to himself. One of  biggest role models of integrity is his sister Maricela Herrera, because according to Herrera her ability to work hard, achieve the world and stay true to the truth. Herrera explained that his sister continuously helps him to get his ducks in a row with

“My sister does everything. She raises a two year old, she graduated college and she continues to take care of it all,” stated Herrera. “Listening to how she would money manage, raise her daughter, go to class, inspired me to be better about how I handle my money.”

Family means a great deal to Herrera. Another role model of his is his half-sister Veronic Henke. Herrera finds great inspiration from his sister because of her ability to always say what needs to be said. Even in difficult times, his sister has the ability to speak up and have great integrity, versus keeping the truth to protect others. Herrera loves her openness and her ability to make things right.

Herrera stated that his favorite role model is Cardi B. Herrera explained that Cardi B sings not only for her fans, but for her family. For example, she sang her songs in English and then translated them to Spanish so that her family could enjoy her music too. Because of the language barrier, they would have not truly known what made her so successful as an artist, but because she took the extra effort to inform her family, they could appreciate her work. Herrera strongly related to this because of his relationship with his mother and her language barrier.  

Herrera had to be independent in school and work because of the language barrier. Many times, he was the responsible translator for his mother. Herrera took this role seriously and truly wanted to help his mother succeed. Herrera is working hard so that his mother can appreciate his work and he can be a source of inspiration.

Even though Herrera is a Junior who expects to graduate in December on 2020, Herrera will miss Tarleton because of the person that he has become here. Herrera is extremely fond of his friends and the people who he calls family.

“I’ve always been the person to stand out, the little awkward pickle in life,” said Herrera. “I hope to give other people self-confidence and let them know that it is okay to be you. It is okay to stand out. As long as you are true to yourself, you are truly going to be happy.”