A Nevada High School Senior Could Have Been Prom King. But He Gave the Title — and Crown — to a Special-Needs Classmate Instead
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While many teenagers wait four years to achieve the pinnacle of popularity by being crowned Prom King or Queen, Shaun Mabanta, an 18-year-old senior at Liberty High School in Las Vegas, prioritized kindness towards a classmate over receiving accolades from his peers.
Mabanta was selected as one of the four candidates for Prom King, but he decided to withdraw and give his spot to Edgar Hernandez instead.
Hernandez, also 18 and a senior at Liberty High, has been diagnosed with autism. Despite some students finding it challenging to form friendships with someone with special needs, the students at Liberty High treat Hernandez with utmost respect and regard him as royalty.
Hernandez’s friendly nature certainly plays a role in this. During lunch, he goes to every table to greet everyone. "He puts himself out there so much," said Mabanta in an interview with The Washington Post. "I wanted him to win from the beginning."
Initially, Mabanta and Hernandez would only exchange greetings, but after a while, Mabanta noticed that Hernandez had been working on improving his conversation skills. This effort motivated and inspired Mabanta. "It makes me believe that there is nothing impossible in this life," Mabanta expressed. He champions the outsider because he himself once felt like one. In eighth grade, Mabanta used to spend hours sitting alone, feeling invisible and anxious, according to reports from The Post.
Kindness towards others helped Mabanta overcome his struggles. As The Post reports, Mabanta began doing acts of kindness such as holding doors open and greeting those who seemed isolated. He even started a kindness club.
So, when Hernandez, despite his warmth and natural charisma, narrowly missed the opportunity to be a candidate for Prom King, Mabanta selflessly withdrew his own name from consideration and offered the spot to Hernandez. Mabanta utilized his popularity and graphic design skills to promote Hernandez’s campaign. He created "Edgar for Prom" posters and displayed them throughout the school. Additionally, he initiated social media campaigns on Snapchat and Instagram.
Students voted online and eagerly awaited the prom announcement. In a video that received over 51,000 views, jubilant teenagers can be seen surrounding the dance floor as the announcer proclaims, "Last but certainly not least, our Prom King Edgar Hernandez!" The students erupt into cheers and chants of "Edgar! Edgar! Edgar!" Hernandez, overwhelmed with disbelief, covers his face. Eventually, he composes himself and shares a dance with the Prom Queen, Taylor Covert, to the popular Ed Sheeran song "Perfect."
Days after the prom, Hernandez continues to wear his crown at school, and his classmates continue to treat him with utmost respect, making him feel like a true king.
When asked how he felt about being Liberty High’s Prom King, Hernandez responded, "Special, I feel special," according to InspireMore.
A week later, he still proudly wears his crown, and his peers continue to treat him with the respect deserving of a king.
