Stony Brook University has announced the members of its 2025 Homecoming Court, continuing a tradition that began in 1984. The university’s Homecoming Royalty event, which originally crowned a king and queen, transitioned to an all-gender court in 2018. This year, ten students have been selected as finalists for the title of “Stony Brook Royals.”
The candidates for the 2025 Homecoming Court are Karega Atkinson Jr., Madison Cinalli, Sarah Elbaroudy, Jaiden Francis, Lana Gouda, Bryant Peña, Luca Rallis, Shanell Rollon, David Safo and Christopher Yang.
Karega Atkinson Jr., a double major in electrical engineering and applied mathematics and statistics, is involved with several campus organizations including the National Society of Black Physicists and the National Society of Black Engineers. He also serves as a resident assistant and student support specialist.
Madison Cinalli is pursuing degrees in biology and psychology with specializations in genetics and chemistry/biology. She holds leadership roles such as president of Theta Phi Alpha and the Inter-Fraternity and Sorority Council. Cinalli also works as an FDNY-trained Emergency Medical Technician.
Sarah Elbaroudy is president of Stony Brook’s Undergraduate Student Government (USG) and participates in university governance bodies. She has led advocacy efforts on issues affecting undocumented students and academic policy reform. Elbaroudy is active at both campus-wide and SUNY-wide levels.
Jaiden Francis majors in mechanical engineering. He serves as a resident assistant, mentor for Black and Latinx Initiatives Student Success, USG audio visual technician, Craft Room assistant, DJ under the name DJ 1Flame, among other roles.
Lana Gouda studies political science and economics with a minor in philosophy. As president of the Political Science Society she organizes events around key issues on campus. Gouda coordinates undergraduate events such as Earthstock and Family Weekend through Student Life.
Bryant Peña is double majoring in chemistry and biology while conducting research within SBU’s Department of Chemistry. His involvement includes serving as an RA in Wagner Hall, vice president roles for two student organizations focused on synthetic biology and Latino business interests.
Luca Rallis majors in political science while serving as president of both the SUNY Student Assembly and SUNY Student Trustees—representing students across all 64 campuses within SUNY.
Shanell Rollon pursues biochemistry along with media/art/culture studies; she minors in digital arts. Rollon leads marketing efforts for USG’s Student Activities Board organizing large-scale campus events like Wolfieland; she also founded Adobe Creatives at SBU.
David Safo majors in business management specializing in finance with minors in accounting, real estate, and insurance. He coordinates mentorship programs supporting over 150 Black and Latinx students at SBU while holding leadership positions within USG.
Christopher Yang studies journalism while leading clubs such as Pokémon GO Club; he organizes Brook Con—the university’s anime convention—and contributes multimedia content to The Statesman newspaper.
“— Sean Gribbin”
