R&B Hitmaker, Former Miss A&T to Lead Homecoming Parade

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. — At North Carolina A&T State University’s “Greatest Homecoming on Earth,” history and music will collide. Powerhouse vocalist Sybil Lynch, known to millions simply as Sybil, is returning to her HBCU — not just as a legendary voice, but as grand marshal of the 2025 Homecoming Parade.

Sybil’s 1989 hit “Don’t Make Me Over” isn’t just a song. It’s a cookout classic, the kind that makes uncles break into the electric slide and cousins grab plates before the grill shuts down.

For me, this one hits a little different. Sybil isn’t just a voice from the cookout — she’s family, my big cousin to be exact. I grew up dancing in the living room, watching the “Don’t Make Me Over” video on TV, as if I were one of the dancers in the video myself.

A Voice That Traveled the World — And Never Forgot Home

Born in Paterson, New Jersey, Sybil graduated from N.C. A&T in 1985. Not long after, she became a transatlantic star. Her rich, emotional voice powered R&B and pop hits through the late ’80s and early ’90s.

Songs like “Falling in Love,” “Walk On By,” “The Love I Lost,” and “When I’m Good and Ready” climbed both U.S. and UK charts. She collaborated with icons including Salt-N-Pepa on “Independent,” and worked with Frankie Knuckles, Ultra Naté, and DJ Spen. Her tours reached Europe, South Africa, and the Philippines. She even appeared on Knuckles’ Grammy-winning Beyond the Tone Arm.

Before all that, she was Miss A&T (1984–85). A student chasing a music career who was unknowingly only a few years away from a hit record. She balanced campus life with growing fame — a unique chapter that shaped her journey.

“The whole floor filled with nothing but Aggies”

So when I ran into her at the North Carolina A&T tailgate in 2019, it wasn’t just another interview. I was catching up with my big cousin at homecoming, just like everyone else at the “Greatest Homecoming on Earth.” During the interview, Sybil reflected on a homecoming moment at her HBCU during the height of her career.

“I was on the stage in Corbett doing my thang,” she laughed, recalling a moment when she returned to campus for a homecoming show. “They asked me to come back, and I did a homecoming show here at Corbett. It was great. The beauty was, line dancing was a big deal, they ended up Electric Sliding to Don’t Make Me Over, it was fabulous, the whole floor filled with nothing but Aggies”

Homecoming Royalty Returns

This October, the 99th edition of A&T’s “Greatest Homecoming on Earth” will celebrate Sybil’s legacy. She’ll lead the HBCU Homecoming parade as grand marshal, riding down East Market not just as a star but as an alumna whose songs still echo through family speakers every summer.

Today, Sybil Lynch is a college advancement officer at Guilford Technical Community College. She continues to inspire through education while staying active in her music career, touring often. Recently, she released “Cheers” with Trarius and was honored with Sybil Lynch Way — a street recently named in her hometown of Paterson, NJ. She also lends her platform to social causes, supporting United Way’s #EndPoverty initiative and Communities In Schools.

Legacy Meets Living Culture

Sybil’s story goes beyond the nostalgia of a cookout classic. It reminds us that HBCUs have always been incubators of world-class talent. Her return as grand marshal connects past and present — generations who danced to her music and students discovering it for the first time. As the floats roll through East Greensboro for GHOE this year, there will be an extra energy when “Don’t Make Me Over” rings out over the yard.