Zoey Huff didn’t come to Memphis expecting to become one of the most recognizable Tigers on campus.
“I’m just a girl from St. Louis,” Huff said. “I didn’t really think that I had that much of an impact on people these past three years.”
Now a senior health sciences major, Huff has become one of the University of Memphis’ most visible student leaders,serving as an Orientation Guide coordinator, Student Activities Council marketing director, academic coach, sorority leader and intern for Girls on the Run Memphis.
Through her involvement, Huff built a reputation on campus. Some students knew her name even if they didn’t know her story.
Her path at Memphis, however, wasn’t always certain. She didn’t have a community and felt lost on campus.
“I told myself, ‘I’m going to give this one more semester,’” Huff said after her freshman year. “If I don’t like it, I’m going to leave.”
That semester changed everything.
After getting involved with the Student Activities Council (SAC), Frosh Camp and orientation, Huff found the senseof community that kept her in Memphis.
“That’s really what motivated me to keep going,” she said.
Huff’s journey came full circle in the fall, when she was crowned Ms. UofM at Homecoming, a moment years in the making.
“I remember seeing (past winners) my freshman year…it was always on my mind,” Huff said. “It fed my inner child.”
But Huff isn’t from the Bluff City. She humbly admitted that there were times when she thought the award wasn’t hers to win.
“I’m not from Memphis,” she said. “I didn’t really think I had that much of an impact.”
So, the girl from Southside St. Louis leaned into what it means to be a Memphian.
Hustle.
“Huff and Hustle.”
The slogan, inspired by the Memphis-based film “Hustle & Flow,” became the foundation of her campaign. A mantra that, to Huff, is everything it means to be a Tiger.
“It was definitely about taking everything with a grain of salt and keep going,” Huff said.
“Balancing school and extracurriculars,” she said. “Some people have full-time jobs — it’s about being able to keep going.”
Inspired by Memphis culture and her St. Louis roots, Huff said the message was about perseverance on campus and beyond.
“You can’t spell hustle without STL,” she said.
As Huff’s journey on campus comes to an end, she’s preparing for what’s next. She’s finishing a degree in health sciences, but Huff says she just wants to help people — in whatever way is needed.
“I really just want to serve.”
Now pursuing a minor in educational psychology, she hopes to create spaces for students similar to the ones that shaped her own college experience.
“It only takes two steps outside your comfort zone to grow,” she said.
As an intern with Girls on the Run Memphis, a program that empowers young girls and one Huff participated in growing up, the experience has come full circle.
“Those spaces for me were so sacred,” she said. “And now I get to come back and serve in that same way.”
Coming from St. Louis, Huff said she found similarities between the two cities that made her feel close to home — even though she was 300 miles away.
Both places share a mindset of resilience. “A drive to grow and improve,” she said.
That mentality, often described in the 901 as “grit and grind,” mirrors what she experienced growing up.
“Everyone’s just trying to make their lives better,” Huff said.
That perspective has shaped both Huff’s journey and what she hopes to pass on to others.
