By Neil Offen

noffen@heraldsun.com; 419-6646

DURHAM -- The school is 100 years old. Chavery McClanahan and Tremain Holloway are not.

But the two N.C. Central University seniors will play essential roles in the celebration of the university's centennial.

They have been named Miss and Mr. NCCU and will be crowned during a ceremony filled with pomp and pageantry Oct. 25. The 6 p.m. coronation will be held at the B.N. Duke Auditorium.

"Chavery and Tremain represent the best in academics, moral character and leadership skills and they already have set a positive example as the Centennial Mr. and Miss NCCU," said Cindy Love, the director of Student Professional Development in the School of Business. Love is prepping McClanahan and Holloway for the National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame Pageant Competition in Atlanta, which takes place next week.

For the two students, reigning over the campus during the centennial year is something very special.

"We will forever be in the university history books, we'll always be remembered because of this," said McClanahan. "It makes it more special to us, to our families, to the university community."

The campus, said Holloway, is very excited about the year's ongoing celebrations.

"It's a big deal," he said. "One hundred years, that's a long time. We feel, with all the changes going around on campus, all the renovations, we're right at the beginning of a whole new period at North Carolina Central. This campus is going to look totally different in 10 years, and we feel we're a part of that."

McClanahan, 21, is an English literature major from Landover, Md. She wants to go to law school and then on to the Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps. Holloway, also 21, is from Rocky Mount. He is a secondary education math major who is eyeing a computer science degree and ultimately would like to go into school administration.

The two students have led community service projects on campus and have plans for more.

"We'll be hosting different events and participating in a lot of different activities," McClanahan said. "It's really going to be exciting. This is really an honor."