Inspirational Isabella

To most, being chosen for homecoming queen is only a dream. But on Sept. 23, this “dream” became a reality for senior Isabella Nations. 

Isabella is not only an exemplary student, but a senior band officer, section leader and president of SNHS. Even with all her titles, she was honored to receive her win. 

“I was thrilled to hear my name,” Isabella said. “It was such a cool experience. I mean, before the game I was nervous, but [as I was] going up to the actual podium I wasn’t. I knew whoever won would deserve it. I was just happy to be there.” 

Along with Isabella was a group of supportive friends and family, who were perhaps more excited than she was to hear her name booming through the stadium. 

“Isabella is a very kind and caring person with a heart for service,” Isabella’s mother Ofelia Nations said. “I [am] very proud of the person she [has become,] and [I] was delighted to see her enjoy the homecoming activities. Being chosen for homecoming queen was the cherry on top.” 

From a spectators’ point of view, seeing Isabella hug her parents and her friends tightly as the band celebrated her win could make it seem like she was an image of perfection. Homecoming queen is associated with popularity and beauty in America, though Isabella claims that is not the case. 

“I’m not perfect, I definitely have a lot of flaws,” Isabella said. “I think I talk too much, and I also beat myself up for making mistakes as a leader. But looking back at my high school experience, all those flaws helped me grow into the person I am now.” 

Another of Isabella’s peers and close friends, senior Janice Shen, is against the stereotype of homecoming queen being only external, claiming that Isabella’s win is deserved because of her character. 

“Being homecoming queen is typically stereotyped to be all about the looks, but I don’t think that’s true,” Shen said. “Isabella has all the qualities that fit under the [homecoming] title such as beauty, intelligence and diligence. Those qualities are what make her so deserving of the spot.”

Isabella is also a competitive student, with AP classes, leadership roles and musical theater all on her to-do list. The fuel behind her academic and extracurricular success is her desire to attend UT Austin and become a doctor. After seeing people in her life suffer from neurological pain, she was compelled by the challenge of discovering such a complex part of the body and made it clear that she wants to contribute to the medical field and help others in her future. 

“I try to represent the [school] motto: nothing less than success,” Isabella said. “I have that goal in mind and try to do everything I can to achieve my goals by working hard.” 

And after four years of high school, Isabella has attained a lot of wisdom that she said has been the key to not only her positive mindset, but also winning homecoming queen.

“Learning to establish who you are as a person, who your support system is and who your friends are is the hardest part of high school,” Isabella said. “In freshman year, I felt like I didn’t know what it meant to have core values, or even who I was. But over the years, after undergoing failure and bad experiences, [it all] helped me grow as a person. I can do anything as long as I work hard for it.”