Juniors Jayme McGillis and Eric Miller have been named 2012 Yell Leaders at NDSU. Yell Leaders work with the NDSU Cheer Team and the Gold Star Marching Band to engage fans and to create a festive atmosphere at home football games.
Yell Leaders are selected by Bison Ambassadors, NDSU Athletics and the NDSU Alumni Association through a skit competition. They are judged on enthusiasm, Bison Pride and voice.
“A Yell Leader is someone who embodies the Bison spirit and is an outstanding member of the NDSU community,” said Stephanie Maier, director of program and student engagement for the NDSU Alumni Association.
They receive a scholarship from the NDSU Alumni Association for their service. In 2011, the inaugural year for the Yell Leader program, Student Government also contributed to the Yell Leader scholarships.
Jayme McGillis
Major: Mechanical engineering
Hometown: Fargo
Activities: NDSU honors program, National Society of Collegiate Scholars and has participated in intramural basketball and football
Why did you want to be a Yell Leader? I believe I can successfully lead the Bison Nation in cheering our teams to victory.
What will make you a good Yell Leader? My charismatic attitude and charming behavior
What does Bison Pride mean to you? Bison Pride is an essential part of life itself. It runs through my veins stronger than my own blood.
How do you feel about wearing a yellow suit to games? I’m very excited for the suit. It is the epitome of class and style.
Favorite tailgating food: The classic cheeseburger is my food of choice.
Favorite Bison tradition: There are a lot of amazing traditions at NDSU that are worth mentioning here, but my favorite tradition is probably winning.
Why did you choose to attend NDSU? I’ve grown up in Fargo my whole life and have been watching the Bison play since I was a kid, so I have always had an attraction to NDSU. They also have a great engineering program, which was the final selling point for me.
Eric Miller
Majors: Agricultural economics and animal science
Hometown: Mandan, N.D.
Activities: Saddle and Sirloin Club, Bison Dairy Club, Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity, NDSU dairy judging team, Judging Club, Collegiate FFA
Why did you want to be a Yell Leader? Because I’m really loud and love the excitement at the games. The promised front row seats at every game were also a plus.
What will make you a good Yell Leader? I’m not afraid to get up in front of a crowd and act a little crazy if need be. I am also pretty creative and have some good ideas ready for next year’s games.
What does Bison Pride mean to you? At the end of the school year, I went on the Global Food Production Systems study abroad to China. As a group of students were climbing up the Great Wall of China, someone randomly put up their horns and yelled, “Go Bison!” To me it’s the camaraderie that alumni and students at NDSU share not only on game day but also all over the world every day.
How do you feel about wearing a yellow suit to games? Well, for starters I like wearing bright colors for some reason. After wearing a rodeo clown outfit last year with a custom NDSU cowboy hat that I made, I wasn’t too worried about feeling comfortable walking around in a yellow suit.
Favorite tailgating food: Anything that Paul Berg and the NDSU BBQ Bootcamp squad make.
Favorite Bison tradition: Bison Horns. It’s our symbol, and when you put them up, people know by that simple hand gesture what you mean, so I think that’s pretty cool.
Why did you choose to attend NDSU? Because all four years of high school I came to campus for one week every summer for the North Dakota State FFA convention. The campus just seemed like a very warm and welcoming environment. The city of Fargo did, too.
NDSU is recognized as one of the top 108 public and private universities by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.
