To be honest, I don’t know how or why I got chosen, but I did! I, Ella Hall, am on the 2022 Key West High School (KWHS) Homecoming Court, and that’s a complete shocker. 

Being on the KWHS Homecoming Court is like running for Miss America. If you make a mistake in public, your chances of getting crowned the queen decrease. Being proper and representing Conch Pride is all we have to do, but with me being a hothead, it’s hard to keep my cool sometimes. For instance, say someone was yelling in my face saying I was the worst person in the whole world, I couldn’t say anything back. I  stay calm and love everyone, even if they don’t love me. 

And don’t get me started on the dresses. The amount of dresses I have bought in the past three weeks is astonishing: one dress for the Homecoming parade on October 31st and the big poofy white gown for the November 4th football game. Sure they are beautiful dresses, but my bank account is now empty. The alteration process for each of them is a pain. For the big poofy white dress, I had to stand in the same spot for two and a half hours for the seamstress to pin each mark to alter. I know it seems as if I’m complaining, but for someone who is not used to the “pageant life,” this is honestly a mentally draining task. 

Speaking of mentally draining, I feel like I have to look physically “perfect” to fit in with the other girls on the court. They’re all so beautiful and petite, and I feel as if my man’s shoulders poking out make me seem different. I’m not saying it just to say, but this is what goes through my mind 24/7 when I’m wearing a dress—going to have to get over that fact before everyone stares at me on a football field. 

I know getting chosen on the court isn’t about looks and popularity and is more about the woman’s character, but my subconscious thinks it is. Because of this experience, I’m overanalyzing my body more than before, pinpointing what would make me look better in these dresses. 

No matter what though, this is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It’s the one period of time where I get to feel like a princess, but instead of living in a castle, I live in a house that just got flooded by Hurricane Ian. Thank you to all the people in the Class of 2023 for nominating me and I can’t wait for the community see me Homecoming week. I just hope I don’t fall on my face in public.