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NEW ULM - As a University of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus freshman, Matt Pryor was looking for a way to adapt from small town life to the school's undergraduate population of 26,000 students.

The son of former New Ulmites Mary and Keith Pryor and a 2006 New Ulm High School graduate, Matt joined the Sigma Chi Epsilon fraternity and enrolled in the leadership minor program.

The decision opened doors for him.

Last week he was named the 2009 University of Minnesota Homecoming King.

The honor should fit nicely in his growing resume that includes an increasing number of leadership positions.

"It was a great experience and honor to represent the University of Minnesota and take part in so many campus activities," Pryor said.

Becoming a University of Minnesota Homecoming king or queen is not easy.

About 300 students are nominated by students.

From that group, 100 students are interviewed and 10 men and women are selected as finalists.

Final king and queen candidates name music in Walt Disney movies, answer University of Minnesota and State of Minnesota trivia questions, take part in scavenger hunts and give homecoming visual arts essays.

Pryor said he made facial expressions ranging from sad to glad, depicting the homecoming football game.

Homecoming 2009 took on a new meaning this year.

"Anything to give back to the community," Pryor added.

He and other homecoming royalty collected more than 5,000 pounds of food for Minneapolis and St. Paul food shelves.

They picked up trash and removed graffiti around the University after homecoming.

Pryor said his fraternity supports building balanced leaders for the world's communities.

A senior majoring in human resources development with minors in human resources industrial relations and leadership, Pryor already wears many hats.

He is the inter-fraternity vice president of recruitment and a marketing and public relations associate in the University's leadership minor program.

Last summer, he studied in South Africa for three weeks, including one week in a rural township.

Pryor called the overseas experience meaningful.

"I learned from South African township leaders living in poverty could achieve great things by working together," he added.

A corporate office intern at Cub Foods, Pryor would like to work in human resources for a Fortune 500 company to "motivate employees and himself to change the status quo by building human expertise to its maximum potential."

Pryor is the contact man for Coffee Talks, an in-person and online community in the leadership minor program.

Coffee Talks enable students to earn extra credit for attendance at discussions where leadership minor students connect and watch feature films at The Purple Onion Cafe in Dinkytown, just east of the University's main campus.

At New Ulm High School, Pryor played saxophone in the band. He played on the Eagles baseball team until a baseball broke his cheekbone and he underwent three surgeries.

"I have since picked up a baseball, playing for a University club team," Pryor said.

After getting more involved with other campus activities, he gave up playing baseball but enjoys playing electric guitar and getting together with friends.

(Fritz Busch can be e-mailed at fbusch@nujournal.com).