Mr. & Ms. UST Reign with Celt Spirit

University of St. Thomas celebrated one of Homecoming Week's most beloved traditions, the crowning of Mr. and Ms. UST, during halftime of the Men's Basketball game on Saturday, Nov. 8 in Jerabeck Activity and Athletic Center. Congratulations to our 2025 Ms. UST, America Martinez, and Mr. UST, Herman Pio Herder-Conde.

In a special moment, former Ms. UST Kamryn Spell and Mr. UST Ricky Altamirano took center court to crown this year's winners. UST President Dr. Sinda Vanderpool and First Gent Terry Vanderpool joined the Homecoming Court to commemorate the occasion, a true celebration of Celt spirit and community.

Ms. UST - America Martinez

When crowned Ms. UST, America Martinez said her ultimate feeling was gratitude.

"I remember feeling it from all angles of my life," she said. "Thankful for everyone who had given me the opportunity to work with them; thankful for the memories and connections; and thankful to God for placing me here and for the recognition of being considered. It was an overwhelming amount of gratitude."

An education major, Martinez engages deeply in campus life through Campus Ministry, Campus Activities Board and many student organizations. Coming to UST initially because she wanted a place where she could grow in faith and be surrounded by community, UST became her home.

"UST has become a home to so many people, but it's also so many other things," she said. "It's a melting pot of memories, opportunities and connections. Being able to represent that is such a privilege because I know how deeply so many of us love UST."

She is known for her leadership, warmth and her ability to bring people together.

"Being part of this community has taught me how to lead with love, and I think that's why UST is such a tight-knit community," Martinez said. "You feel that spirit everywhere from custodial to professors to administrators - each person contributes to the warmth that makes this place so special. I hope to bring that into the classroom."

Graduating in May with a degree in education, Martinez looks forward to being a teacher.

"I hope to teach students how to read and write, but also how to lead with love, and how to care for others," she said. "That's such a valuable thing that is rare, and I feel incredibly blessed to have learned that here at UST. I hope to carry that mission of leading with love, leadership from the heart."

Mr. UST - Herman Pio Herder-Conde

Herman Pio Herder-Conde, a political science major with a minor in cybersecurity, was drawn to UST's close-knit environment, small class sizes and a community that he feels genuinely cares.

"I think UST is a really special place," he said. "The community we have here is, in my opinion, incredibly unique, and worth letting people know about. For me, UST has helped me so much and I will certainly do my best to live up to the title of Mr. UST and let people know about that awesome things we have got going on."

Herder-Conde is a student-athlete in UST Men's Basketball, involved in Mock Trial leadership, and serves on both the Treasury Board and Celt Sports Association. He is also very involved in the Filipino Student Association. From the moment he toured campus, he felt welcomed and knew UST was where he belonged.

"The UST community is such an amazing collection of people, and for some of them to think that I am a good representative of that community really means the world to me," he said. "There were so many wonderful and deserving candidates, and so for me to be selected for this role makes me incredibly thankful, appreciative and humbled."

Herder-Conde hopes to attend law school and continue advocating for others.

"After graduation, I hope to take UST's four core values with me wherever life takes me," he said. "Knowledge, goodness, discipline and community are all things that are worth building and pursuing, both here on campus, and wherever the wider UST community might find itself."

What It Means To Represent UST

As Mr. and Ms. UST, Herder-Conde and Martinez will represent the University during the coming year at various events and act as spokespeople for UST when needed, particularly at UST's Annual Scholarship Gala in May.

"The role of Mr. and Ms. UST is especially important in representing our amazing university because these positions can show what kind of people go to St. Thomas, and what four years at the university can do for a person," Herder-Conde said.

The new royals are supported by the 2025 Homecoming Court of impressive UST seniors: Andrea Alexandri, Gabriela Clinton, Maegan Anderson, Victoria Argueta, Anthony Sommer, Jeth Flores, Jorge Gonzalez and Joseph Troxler.