When his Alpha Tau Omega brothers nominated Richard Gutierrez to run for coming home king, he felt gratitude simply for being considered.
Gutierrez is a sophomore healthcare administration major and secretary of his fraternity. Prior to his secretary role, he served as philanthropy director, in charge of raising money for organizations such as Make-A-Wish and the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI). Through his leadership, the fraternity was able to grant a wish to a child in the spring of 2025. When it came time to cast nominations, the executive board unanimously voted for Gutierrez to represent ATO.
Alpha Tau Omega is a philanthropic partner with NAMI and prioritizes “love and respect,” according to its website. Gutierrez initially felt intimidated by the prospect of joining a fraternity and almost even quit the process until he met members of ATO who welcomed him with open arms. He looks back on the experience as a catalyst for so many fulfilling experiences.
“It was very much a butterfly effect. A small action thing you did two years ago can make a huge difference down the road.” Gutierrez said.
After nominations were finalized, Gutierrez began his preparations for the event. One of the first decisions is to choose an escort to walk the court with.
For Gutierrez, selecting his escort required no thought at all. He walked with senior health sciences major Maddie Songer. They were both raised in Huntingburg, Indiana, and have been best friends since fifth grade, Gutierrez said. In his sophomore year of high school, Gutierrez escorted Songer on the homecoming court, where she was nominated prom queen.
“It was kind of a full circle moment,” Gutierrez said.
While the next step, the interview process, was daunting, Gutierrez said, he took time to pause and enjoy the moment. Several of the questions from the six-person panel allowed him to reflect on his time on the Hill. In just his year and a half in college, Gutierrez said he has become involved on campus and hopes to become even more so in the upcoming years.
Gutierrez said the experience also allowed him to serve the Bowling Green community and meet new friends. The 20 candidates gathered on Thursday, Feb. 12, and spent hours volunteering with the Salvation Army. The food pantry, which hadn’t received any food donations yet that day, expressed its gratitude after receiving the group’s over 400 sandwiches.
Stepping onto the court allowed for a moment to appreciate simply being surrounded by his family, friends, and fraternity brothers as they cheered him on, Gutierrez said.
When his name was announced over the loudspeaker, however, the news took a moment to register, Gutierrez said. He recalled feeling his escort nudge his arm to walk forward and claim his award. To Gutierrez, however, the win meant more than a trophy. He also said he felt fortunate to serve as an example for anyone who felt seen by his win.
“I’m from a really small town. There might be a little Hispanic boy back home who got to watch me win,” Gutierrez said. “You never know who might say ‘if they can do it, I can do it.’”
