Daneel Konnar, an alumni of Northeast Lauderdale High School and first generation-born American, often finds inspiration in his parents’ immigration to the United States more than three decades ago.

“I often think about my parents’ journey to America and how that has influenced my journey,” Konnar said of his path that led him from Lauderdale County to Oxford and the University of Mississippi.

A senior majoring in public policy leadership, Konnar was elected Mr. Ole Miss earlier this week during homecoming elections at the university.

It was this journey by his parents, Rama and Heather Konnar, from Malaysia to Mississippi to seek a better life for themselves that inspired his election campaign, “Your Journey, Our Ole Miss.” His campaign sought to shed light on students’ individual journeys and backgrounds and how that diversity is shaping their lives and bringing them together at the university.

“My campaign’s platform was to celebrate the different journeys and walks of life that all of our students come from, and that is what makes Ole Miss so special because we all come from different walks of life,” said Konnar.

For the son of immigrants, the first in his family born in the United States, winning a big student election on a major Southeastern Conference campus was rewarding to him.

“It is truly an honor, and I am so thankful for the Ole Miss student body for trusting me and giving me the opportunity to serve them for a year as Mr. Ole Miss,” he said.

A record 6,607 votes were cast in homecoming elections this past week at Ole Miss, with Konnar winning in the first round with 56.8% of the votes cast. He and Samantha Sepe of Pittsburgh, who was elected Miss Ole Miss in a runoff, will be recognized along with this year’s homecoming court in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium during halftime of the Oct. 28 game against Vanderbilt.

Two years ago, Meridian resident Madison Gordon, a graduate of Lamar High School, was elected the 2021 Miss Ole Miss.

Konnar said there’s much truth in the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child.”

“I guess you can say the village (for me) started in Meridian in many ways. It started with the foundation I had growing up in Meridian and going to Northeast schools from the third grade until I graduated,” he said. “The foundation my teachers laid down and my family laid down kind of led me to this point in my life and has been very influential.”

While at Northeast, Konnar served as senior class president and was valedictorian of the Class of 2020, a senior year cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He and his younger brother, Veshal Konnar, were back-to-back valedictorians at Northeast. Veshal, a junior at Vanderbilt, was valedictorian of the 2021 senior class.

“This comes as no surprise to NEHS! Daneel, class of 2020, was a model student, excelling in the classroom and exemplifying #TrojanPride through his leadership and community service,” according to a message posted on Northeast High’s Facebook page earlier this week. “We are SO proud to see him continuing to have a positive impact at the collegiate level!”

Rama and Heather Konnar both immigrated to the U.S. from Malaysia. They were in the hotel business for many years in the Meridian area, although they have now relocated to the Jackson area. Konnar said his dad still has business ties to Meridian and visits regularly.

“They still claim Meridian as home, we will always say Meridian is home,” he said.

At Ole Miss, Konnar is a member of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and the Trent Lott Leadership Institute. He is an Ole Miss Women’s Council for Philanthropy Scholarship recipient and an Ole Miss Ambassador, giving tour guides at the university. He serves as vice president of the Columns Society, a group of 15 men and 15 women who serve as official hosts and hostesses for Ole Miss.

He also is the executive director of the Student Activities Association and a member of the Mississippi Alpha chapter of Phi Delta Theta fraternity, where he serves as philanthropy chair. He is a past orientation leader for the university and has served as an intern for Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves’ office in Jackson, U.S. Congressman Trent Kelly’s office and the lobby firm Cogent Strategies, both in Washington.

“Ole Miss is a very special place that works to uplift students and has pushed me to become a better person and a better leader,” Konnar said.

He will graduate with his bachelor’s degree from Ole Miss in May and plans to step away from college for a year to either work or travel and decide on his future, which may include either law school or a political career.

“Right now, the plan is that I will be taking a gap year following graduation in May. Whether that means working in the private or public sector for the year or traveling, I am still deciding,” he said.

Eventually, in a couple of years, he said he wants to come back to Mississippi. “I want to come back to Mississippi and settle down here.”

As Mr. and Miss Ole Miss, Konnar and Sepe will establish a philanthropy in tandem with each other and the core values of the university. Both of their chosen philanthropies support students who may be struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues.

Substance abuse and mental health problems seem more prevalent on college campuses these days, so combining efforts so they can bring more awareness to the issues will hopefully lead to more students receiving help, Konnar said.

“It’s not just at Ole Miss. I think we are seeing this everywhere across college campuses here in America,” he said. “It’s a prevalent issue that seems to be, unfortunately, grabbing ahold of many of our students.”