Guilford first Mr. ASU in almost a decade

ALBANY — Semaj Guilford wasn’t prom king in high school. He wasn’t class president and didn’t hold any other high-profile position either.

In fact, the Albany State University junior has always been kind of shy and reserved.

Upon transferring to ASU, though, Guilford decided to step out of his comfort zone. And that risk has paid off, as he was named the school’s first Mr. Albany State University in about a decade after the Mr. and Ms. Albany State University Pageant held last week.

Leading up to the pageant, Guilford said he had to really come out of his shell and campaign in order to earn the trust of his peers. He was able to do just that, garnering the necessary number of votes to be named Mr. ASU, all while pushing himself to do something he’s never done before.

“The process overall was amazing, it was great and it was fun,” he said. “The campaigning, it gave me a view of how elections are run. … It made me meet new people on campus that I’ve never met before. My communication skills have now been enhanced because of that. Overall, it was a great experience.”

Vice President for Student Affairs and Success Danette Saylor said the decision to change the title from Mr. Royal Gentleman to Mr. Albany State University came as an effort to give male honorees equal footing and respect as their female counterparts.

“One of the things we wanted to make sure we did moving forward was to have our king and our queen on equal footing,” Saylor said. “We felt if we’re going to have a Ms. ASU, then we should also have a Mr. ASU. Mr. ASU is regarded as an escort to Ms. ASU, but he himself is a king in his own right.”

The criminal justice major hails from Augusta, and he said the gravity of his recent coronation is still sinking in.

“It’s a little overwhelming at times,” he said. “I really want to set a great foundation for (the title) and give it a great name, with me being the first person to hold it. I’m very intrigued about it.”

Guilford was actually in the middle of a forest at Fort Gordon when he found out he’d won. Guilford is a member of ASU’s Army ROTC and said it took him a second to realize exactly what he had just accomplished.

“We had training that weekend and, basically, one of my soldiers came and jumped on me and was like, ‘Congratulations, bruh, you won!’ And I was like, ‘Won what?’ From there, I jumped up and screamed. All the hard work and dedication had paid off because I had achieved higher than I wanted to achieve. From that point on, it was like ‘OK, now I’m ready to work,’” he said.

“This enhances my leadership,” Guilford added. “As a soldier, you have to be a leader first, especially with me being in ROTC. That means I’ll be an officer once I finish the program and be a leader in the United States Army, so it enhances leadership. It boosts morale for me. It makes it easier for me to communicate in front of crowds.”

The new Mr. ASU added that ROTC also helps him to understand that his actions and decision don’t just affect him, something he has to continue being mindful of as he represents his school.

Saylor feels that the school selected a very deserving person to be one of the faces of the school.

“I think Semaj is a wonderful young man,” she said. “I think he will be a very great role model for other male students on campus and beyond, and we’re really excited that the individual assuming this role for the first time in 10 years is someone we believe is going to be a great representative of the male students on our campus.”