The Mr. Trailblazer event is a place for students to show off their school spirit and connect with their community. This year’s Mr. Trailblazer, Carson Warner, was crowned because of his performance in the pageant.
Warner is a junior criminal justice major from Las Vegas. He is the vice president of student life for Utah Tech Student Association and was additionally awarded Mr. Congeniality. His two main goals as Mr. Trailblazer are to serve his community and to promote campus involvement.
One way Warner works toward these goals is through his work at UTSA. As the vice president of student life, Warner oversees all the Wednesday events, as well as the big dances like Foam Dance, Inferno and Chaos. He said that through these events, students can engage with their community and find a sense of home.
Warner said: ”I have been a part of UTSA since my freshman year… I have been super involved in the UTSA side of campus involvement and I just do whatever I can do to support the university.”
During Mr. Trailblazer, Warner performed the dance from the movie “Napoleon Dynamite.” His childhood dog Badger also made an appearance on stage to support Warner during the final walk.
UTSA director of traditions Journey Catlett, a junior marketing major from Wasilla, Alaska, was in charge of hosting and planning the event.
Catlett said: “I was so happy for everyone. They did great and they all got along really well. It was a great team. They were super positive and super upbeat the entire time, so it made the whole process for me a breeze. Honestly, I couldn’t be more thankful.”
Previous Mr. Trailblazer Tyler Quincy, a senior sociology major from West Jordan, said he was there for all of the rehearsals and enjoyed being a part of the process and seeing their hard work pay off.
Quincy said: “I actually had a really good time. I really like watching each boy grow into their talent and into the opening number… It was really cool to watch them get excited about it.”
One piece of advice Quincy would give to Warner is to “make it your own.” He said there are no requirements for what Mr. Trailblazer does, so he recommends that Warner does what he can to make the most of his Mr. Trailblazer experience.
Quincy said: “I want Carson Warner to create what he wants for it. Do what he wants to do so he can have the best time with his title.”
The title of Mr. Trailblazer has been passed down to Warner. He goes into the future with plans to serve his community and improve student engagement.
Warner said: “I want to emphasize how fun this event was… I really want students to participate next year that show off unique areas of Utah Tech.”
