Seizing the chance to represent their class and school, Senior’s Jorge Aponte Alvarez Jr. and Giscelle Rosario were named this year’s homecoming King and Queen. Since they began at MHS, Alvarez and Rosario have grown and matured into confident people, able to open themselves up to their peers and community. This year they took a chance and went outside of their normal comfort zone, choosing to run for the homecoming court and ultimately being chosen to carry on the titles of King and Queen.

     “Throughout my high school experience I have learned that people appreciate ingenuity and authenticity and I have learned to be comfortable in my own skin. Life is all about a process of learning and growing. Once I understood that, I found that running for homecoming court would just be another opportunity to learn about myself, and that if the outcome was not in my favor, that would not change who I was and it would not change the fact that there were people who cared about me,” said Rosario.

     Looking back, both Alvarez and Rosario would have hardly believed that as seniors, they would choose to run for such well known positions and win. “If you had told me sophomore year to run for court I would’ve been like, ‘No,’ because I didn’t know many people. So now being able to meet so many people and being able to be so open and being so connected with so many people, I think it’s really helped me to become more confident in myself—to be open and be more happy,” said Alvarez.

     Taking on such a big role in homecoming offered a new kind of experience to Alvarez and Rosario. “In the past, (homecoming) was always something that I didn’t pay much attention to and I felt that running for court would help me make the most out of my senior year. I had no idea I would actually be chosen for Queen so I’m very grateful,” said Rosario. Alvarez, who also didn’t expect himself to run, decided to try it out after seeing its benefits. “I thought it was a nice opportunity for me to be able to represent my class and I saw that I might have a chance of winning so why not try it out,” said Alvarez.

     Alvarez and Rosario looked forward to experiencing their last homecoming week from a new perspective, taking center stage in the events and representing their class and school. They hope that with their titles of homecoming King and Queen, they will continue to open up and find the courage to participate in more events throughout the coming year.

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