Senior Vince Pappas has been crowned Homecoming Royalty in the Activities category, alongside three other winners. Involved in many West extracurriculars, like football, National Honors Society and DECA, Vince is definitely the right fit for this category.

After great encouragement from Student Activities Director, Caitlin Lucci, Pappas decided to run for the Homecoming Court. Although it wasn’t a part of his original agenda, he grew optimistic about being a face for the senior class.

“I ran mostly because Mrs. Lucci wanted me to at first. As the campaign process continued, I began to enjoy it a lot. I ran for activities because I’m involved in a lot of student activities and I think that they play a huge role in a school that isn’t valued enough,” Pappas said.

One of his greatest memories from Homecoming week was making his campaign video and walking up the red carpet. The red carpet walk was very long, however Pappas enjoyed it along with creating his campaign video and candies that said, “Vote Vince”.

With this said, Lucci also recognizes what Pappas brings to our school.

“I think Vince was a strong candidate for Homecoming court because he is a present, engaging leader and active member of several clubs. I first met Vince during a fundraising conversation with DECA leaders, and also ran into him at Garba Night sponsored by SASA. After he also attended our first Presidents Council meeting and was so positive and supportive of the work we were doing, he stood out to me as an obvious candidate to represent Activities on the court,” Lucci said. Lucci witnesses Pappas having many positive relationships with his peers.

Being a part of the Homecoming Court brings much excitement, but being crowned Homecoming Royalty in front of all of Niles West brings even more.

“I felt very relieved and also exhilarated. I felt like my hard work from campaigning was worth it,” Pappas said. Also experiencing this unforgettable moment, Lucci remembers how hyped the football team was to welcome Pappas on stage along with the rest of the court.

Accumulating lots of votes is no easy task, however, for Pappas, being involved in several extracurriculars aided him in receiving votes from a variety of students.

“I think that it was because I’m a part of a lot of different communities at West, so a lot of my voters came from different places like football and DECA,” Pappas said.

Peers of Pappas agreed that he was a great candidate for Homecoming Royalty. With a humble head, the time and effort he puts into Niles West does not go unrecognized.

“I think his involvement [in a] variety of activities and friendly personality made him a great Homecoming court candidate,” senior Nora Graham said.

Vince is grateful for those who helped him throughout his campaign. His success wouldn’t have been possible without the help of his friends and partners.

“I want to thank anyone who voted for me or supported my campaign. I would like to shout out some people who played key roles in my success such as Noah Youkhana, Abe Chirayil, Nora Graham and Z Ansari,” Pappas said.

Bravo to Vince and huge congratulations!