A 19-year-old San Diego State student may have made Aztec history when she tried out to be the Aztec Warrior on Oct. 1. Director of Corporate and Com- munity Relations at SDSU Athletics Christian Deleon said it’s possible Diamonte Harper was the first woman to audition for the role. Sophomore Diamonte, a Sacrament native, chats with The Daily Aztec about what this role means to her.
The Daily Aztec: Before you ap- plied for the Aztec Warrior posi- tion, were you aware you might be the first woman to do so? Diamonte Harper: No, I thought I was just going to try out like any other student.
DA: When you applied to SDSU, was auditioning for the role something you had in the back of your mind? DH:No,no…Isawtheemailand I was thinking, “Oh my good- ness, I have to do this.” Even if I don’t get it, I thought it would be a good experience.
DA: What does it mean to you to have possibly been the first woman to try out for the Aztec Warrior position?
DH: To be honest, I think it’s very significant. I thought that it would be really cool for young girls growing up in San Diego who look forward to the basket- ball games to see a woman lead- ing the crowd because women can do that too. I just felt it would have been nice to see a coed lead- ership.
DA: Do you think you’ve set a precedent for other girls to audi- tion for the position?
DH: I didn’t really see it as male/ female. It’s the Aztec Warrior. You can’t really say, “That’s supposed to be a man’s job” or “that’s supposed to be a woman’s job.”
DA: Do you have any advice for girls who are considering taking on the role in the future?
DH: With trying out, with any- thing in life … it’s an “all or nothing” thing. I’m not a femi- nist, but I really believe in women empowerment because I feel like, sometimes, we’re in the shadows and we don’t get the experiences men get … just try it because you never know what may happen. DA: Do you have any last words for students?
DH: I just want to say good luck to Kyle. He actually went right before me, so we talked. I met him and he’s a really nice guy. So Kyle, I hope you have a really wonderful mascot season.
