Southeast Missouri State University junior Brooke Hogenmiller wasn’t too familiar with Ellen Degeneres prior to watching her show, but she decided to take a chance when she watched an episode one day. Hogenmiller recorded an episode of “The Ellen Degeneres Show,” when baseball player David Freese was a guest. After watching the episode, Hogenmiller said she became fascinated with Degeneres.

“She was just so funny and I loved her,” Hogenmiller said. “So then I actually put the show on a series recording and then I started watching it everyday.”

Hogenmiller’s fascination with Degeneres grew so tremendously that she began consistently writing the talk show host in hopes of one day attending one of her shows and meeting her.

“Because after watching her show, she has … she allows normal people to come on [her show] that write in, and I was like, ‘Oh, well maybe I’ll give it a shot,’” Hogenmiller said. ”And I did and then I just kept doing it.”

At first, Hogenmiller’s family and friends took her writing to Degeneres as a joke, but that soon began to change.

“Well, at first they thought it was a big joke and they (her family and friends) all liked to give me trouble about it,” Hogenmiller said. “But then once I continued to do it and once I started watching her show a lot more, they started watching with me.”

Hogenmiller said her family especially started to watch Degeneres’ show when she recorded the entire series.

“I was in high school at the time, and I’d always have my dad and mom watch it with me,” Hogenmiller said. “And [mom and dad] started to love Ellen just as much.”

When Hogenmiller first came to college, her roommate and sorority sisters started watching the show all because of her.

“I ended up telling my sorority (Delta Delta Delta) about this fascination I have with her. And they all started watching Ellen with me,” Hogenmiller said. “And I tell them stuff about Ellen

all the time. [My sorority sisters] like it, they always tag in me in stuff on Facebook, Ellen videos and stuff like that.”

Degeneres offers an opportunity where sororities can write to her in hopes of having members attend a show. Hogenmiller explained that she would love Degeneres to meet her and her sorority sisters, mainly because she has philanthropy through the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

“She donates a lot to St. Jude, and in my sorority our philanthropy is St. Jude, so that’s something that I thought was cool,” Hogenmiller said.” I really just … I don’t want presents or anything. I really just wanted to meet her; I think she’s so cool and such an amazing person.”

Since Hogenmiller loves Degeneres so much, it comes as no surprise that she has a favorite episode of her show.

“Well I have two saved on my DVR at home that I haven’t ever deleted. One’s the one with David Freese on it that I first originally started watching,” Hogenmiller said. “And then the other one is — I think it was her 1,500th show and she had a bunch of good friends come on the show. And then she showed a bunch of her memories and then the best of the 1,500 shows. So I’ve always liked that because I didn’t get to see the beginning (earlier seasons).”

Hogenmiller still holds onto her dream of attending one of Degeneres’ shows. Ultimately, she writes in so she could come to one of Ellen’s shows and potentially meet her.

“I would love to just go to one of her shows. That’s why I write in,” Hogenmiller said. “If I meet her that’d be cool, but I know it’s asking for a lot. But I would love to just go to one of her shows.”

Being in college, Hogenmiller has found writing Degeneres now to be more challenging than before.

“I write in a lot, but now that I’m in school it’s harder. I don’t have as much time. I used to write in a lot and I know when I write in I say, ‘I’d love to come to a show,’” Hogenmiller said. “Or like I asked her to surprise my sorority, that’d be cool if she came here. She does that to some schools, but it’s usually bigger schools.”

Hogenmiller may be vocal about her love and admiration for Degeneres, but if she were to finally meet her she said she woul be pretty speechless.

“Gosh, I don’t even know. I’d probably just be shocked. But I don’t even know what I’d say to her,” Hogenmiller said. “Just like, ‘Hey.’ She’s so cool, what do you say to her? ‘I’m Brooke.’”

To learn more about Ellen Degeneres or stay up to date with her show, visit http://www.ellentv.com/.