Motley begins a queen’s reign

“I don’t think my peers know a lot about me,” said Monica Motley, VCU’s new Homecoming queen.

But Motley, a Danville native, has kept busy in her time in Richmond.

“I’m a people-person. I love different things. I try not to be normal in any aspect,” the 22-year-old said.

A player on the women’s rugby club team, Motley said some people get scared off from the sport.

“A lot of people hear about breaking ribs,” she said. The team’s safety gear is limited to mouth guards.

“Women’s rugby is great. Nothing’s better than getting out there and hitting someone you don’t know and not worrying about going to jail,” she said, adding that the game has a great social aspect. “As soon as you get out (of the game), we get up and socialize and eat.”

Motley’s interests are much more diverse, however.

“A lot of people just assume I’m this tomboyish girl,” she said. “They think I’m really rough. But I love getting dressed up.” She is involved in the Group MODA fashion show and models for the STRUT show.

An SGA senator during the 2005-06 school year, she plans to run again this year.

“We can really fix the problem, get the solution into gear,” Motley said of the student government.

She won her second bid to become homecoming queen after learning lessons while running in 2006.

“I definitely planned a lot better. Last year was on a trial and error basis,” she said.

Motley plans to use her title, which has no official responsibilities, to reach out to elementary and middle school students.

“My message was, ‘believe in yourself,’ ” she said. She wants to show students that “you can go against all odds and achieve if you believe in yourself. They really need to hear that. They need someone to look up to.”

While two candidates for queen were disqualified, Motley insists there are no hard feelings.

“It’s disappointing when we don’t get what we want, but everyone worked equally hard. It wasn’t a giveaway,” she said.

Motley is working on a degree in clinical exercise science with minors in Spanish and psychology.

“I’m just excited to be able to represent VCU. This year was the most ethnically diverse group. The student’s spoke, and they were ready for the change,” she said.