Their hands trembled and their high heels sunk into the turf as the ten Homecoming Queen Nominees stood on the football field at halftime, anxiously waiting on the results to be revealed. A few minutes later, the crown was placed on Mercedes Bugg’s head and the stadium erupted with applause. From ear to ear, a smile of excitement and relief formed across her face, and one of pride on her father’s.
“I didn’t even think I was going to be in the top three,” Mercedes explained. Instead of anticipating the announcement of her name, she was thinking “oh, it’s probably going to be this girl or that girl.” Humble is an understatement, as Mercedes should have had an idea of what she was in for considering how outgoing and cordial she is. “I try to be nice to everybody,” Mercedes revealed. “I talk to a lot of people and I have a lot of friends. I speak to literally everybody I see in the hallway. I’m like ‘hey, what’s up?’”
Having a lot of friends would be an easy task for someone as involved in their school as she is. Mercedes was in AVID and FCCLA, played both JV and Varsity softball, and is a Calico. This year, she is the Advertisement Manager for the school newspaper, and a Lieutenant for Calicos. It’s no wonder that she was also chosen for Student of the Month.
If you were told that Mercedes hadn’t always been the ideal student that she now seems, you probably wouldn’t believe it. Mercedes shared with me the huge change she has made from her freshman year to her senior year. “I was a horrible kid. I maxed out in swats, ISS’s, and suspensions. I walked into school late everyday with house shoes on and no ID.” So what happened? Basically, she woke up one morning and, upon realizing that she couldn’t try out for Calicos and the softball team with her current behavior, she decided to make an improvement. “I just decided I was going to try to be good, and it got to where I actually liked it,” Mercedes said. “It’s so much easier to be good than to be bad!”
This success story not only serves as proof that CHS is the “home of champions” and students with amazing character and potential, but it should also serve as an inspiration because it also proves that no matter who you are or how you act, it’s never too late to make a difference or change for the better. Who knows, you just might be the next homecoming king or queen!