The NWN sat down with the Homecoming court runners Lashay Green, Dylan Lanoff, Sabrina Dumitrean, Kaylin Moy, Molly Kleppin, Justin Sia, Faris Karaman, Joey Younan, Rishi Patel, and Sam Breitberg for a Q&A about who they are and why you should vote for them.

NWN: So, why did you decide to run for Homecoming King or Queen, and why should people vote for you?

Lashay: It’s senior year, and I’ve been wanting to do it since freshman year. I promised Jackie Salamanca I would try and win for her, and I think that she’d be very proud of me if I did win. I’d want to win because I’m a unique person. I’m original to the bone, dude. There’s no one like me.

Sabrina: I’ve wanted to do it since last year. I didn’t even think I’d made it to court, but I want to show the school that anyone could do it if you set your mind to it. You don’t have to be a cheerleader or a jock. I’d want to win just to give that message to people.

Dylan: I always thought it would be awesome to run for homecoming queen. I have a lot of school spirit and it would mean a lot to me if I won. It would be something that I would remember for the rest of my life.

Kaylin: I thought about running last year, but I was like ‘I’ll think about it.’ Justin Sia saw the calendar and was like, ‘hey! Let’s do it!’ It was kind of like a YOLO thing.  Since I’m involved in so many school activities, I feel like I can connect to so many other students, and make friends with so many people who I wouldn’t normally see on a daily basis. I think that I contribute a lot to our school, and I really represent our school’s diversity. I would be really honored to represent our school as homecoming queen!

Justin: I realized that it’s senior year, and after four years of hard work, it just seemed like it was time to let go and do what I want. Running for king was a way to do that. In my opinion, I’m not a guy that doesn’t deserve people’s votes. I’m not mean, I try my best to be nice, and I have morals that I live by and try to emphasize that. I’m a nice person.

Rishi: I kind of just fell into it. Becca Gratch ran for court, and she told me to run with her. I’m also head of the choir club and echo effect, so it would be nice to have someone from those clubs representing Niles West. I’m not really involved in athletics, I represent the school through scholastic activities, and it would be nice to have a scholastic representative. Choir is a big thing at Niles West, so I would also be representing choir club.

Molly: I sort of just fell into it, too. Freshman year, me and Sam said that we would run together as a joke, so we decided to follow through. I thought, ‘I have school spirit, so why not?’ I think that I’m involved in a lot of different activities like CEC club, which is something that I’m really proud of, and that would be a good representation for the school.

Joey: A lot of my friends encouraged me to run. They were like, ‘oh, you’d win, and it’ll be cool,’ so I decided to do it. It’s senior year, why not? I should win because I have a lot of school spirit, and I support all the sports teams. I’ve also represented the school in sports.

Faris: I didn’t want any regrets senior year, and I thought it would be fun. I should win because I love this school and everyone in it. It would also be the first time a geek ever became the Homecoming King.

Sam: I told Molly freshman year in bio that we would run for prom king and queen together, and I guess she heard homecoming, so earlier this year she approached me and told me that we had to run together. So I was like, ‘okay, Mol.’ You should vote for me because my campaign is ‘vote Joey Younan,’ and because I like the movie Anchorman.

NWN: What activities are you involved in at Niles West?

Lashay: Black Student Union, Relay for Life, Dance Marathon, Homecoming Committee, DECA, and Fashion Club. I like to be active during school.

Sabrina: German club, Homecoming Committee, and Powderpuff.

Dylan: Poms, DECA, Peer Leaders, and the Breakfast Club.

Kaylin: Lit Center leader/tutor, Chinese Club, Freshman Mentor, Cross Country, Track and Field, Orchestra, I play the violin and cello. Orchestra board, Dr. Who club, National Honor Society and National Chinese Honor Society. I’m also captain of my Relay for Life Team, and I’m in Dance Marathon.

Justin: I’m the class president, band president, a freshman mentor, lit center tutor, part of H2O, cabinet, marching band, and pop and rock.

Molly: Volleyball, basketball, soccer, lit center tutor, ACE, CEC, WolfPack, and Relay for Life.

Rishi: Choir, Echo Effect, Science Olympiad, Model UN, WYSE, Lit Center, Relay for Life, and Ultimate Frisbee.

Joey: Basketball and baseball.

Faris: I’m the founder of the Comic/Cartoon Club and the Master Jedi Sci-Fi Club, the SAVE Club, Amnesty International, Relay for Life, and NAMES.

Sam: Baseball, basketball, and ping pong club.

NWN: What are your plans for the future in terms of college and a career?

Lashay: I want to go to Columbia in Chicago for visual communication, kind of like a stylist. I would want to be a fashion stylist.

Sabrina: I’m thinking about Loyola or DePaul, but I’m undecided on my major.

Dylan: My first choice is U of I and other big ten schools. I’d like to go into psychology, and I also want to keep dancing. I’m going to audition for the Illinois Dance Team.

Kaylin: I don’t really have a dream college, but I’m applying to U of I, Illinois Institute of Technology, Purdue, Northwestern, Rose-Hulman, University of Wisconsin Madison, and I want to major in some kind of engineering, either chemical, bio chemical, or bio medical.

Justin: My dream schools are Northwestern and the University of Chicago. I want to major in political science.

Rishi: I’m thinking of engineering. Something in the math/science department. My dream school is Cornell.

Molly: I want to be involved in non-profit organizations. I’ve applied to St. Ambrose and Marquette, and I do wanna either play basketball or volleyball.

Joey: I would like to go to Northwestern and become a pediatrician.

Faris: I’d want to go to Columbia or U of Arts to study film making and to be a director.

Sam: My ideal college would be Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and my ideal career path is a rap star.

NWN: What is something that you are most proud of in your four years here at Niles West?

Lashay: I’m proud of my school spirit.

Sabrina: I’m proud of making it to Accolades for something that I made in ceramics a few years ago. I love art, but I haven’t taken a class in a while.

Dylan: I’m proud of getting 12th place at nationals for Poms last year. It’s one of my favorite memories in high school. It was a big accomplishment.

Kaylin: I’m proud of how I managed to get through high school. When I started, I was so lost and scared, so I’m proud of how I managed my classes, extra curricular, and friends. I made a lot of friends that I wouldn’t have known if I didn’t put myself out there.

Justin: The relationships and connections I’ve made with other students. I came from a private school freshman year and I didn’t have many friends, but looking back, I made a lot of friends, and that was a big accomplishment for me.

Rishi: Sophomore year, in echo effect, we won the Midwest Regional Acapella competition. We went to New York, and I was there with my brother and good friends. It was cool to be in New York for a week and get to watch Broadway plays and experience that.

Molly: Freshman year, the basketball team went to super sectionals. My older sister was on the team, and it was a cool atmosphere at Loyola. A lot of people were there, and it was cool to be a part of it.

Joey: I’m proud of my development as a student and an athlete, skill-wise and talent-wise. I’m also proud of learning to deal with the stress of high school.

Faris: I’m glad I made the Sci-Fi club here, and to be in a school that is culturally diverse.

Sam: Getting to senior year. I’m proud of Joey Younan, too, for making all conference in basketball last year.

NWN: What are you most excited for for Spirit Week?

Lashay: Oh, I’m going all out for Spirit Week. And I’m excited for the coronation.

Sabrina: I’m excited for Spirit Week because I’m going all out. And for the assembly, we get to sit in front of the whole school!

Dylan: I’m excited to show school spirit every day, and to represent my class on Friday!

Kaylin: I’m excited for all the spirit days because I love dressing up. I’m most excited for dynamic duo day.

Justin: Dressing up on each spirit day. I plan on doing my best for school spirit, and red and white day.

Molly: The football game! Also spirit days.

Rishi: The Friday of the assembly. It’s nice to have senior classes, because everyone’s wearing red and they’re all very into it.

Joey: The assembly. It’s the first one as a senior class, and I’ve been looking forward to it for a long time.

Faris: Dressing up on all of the days, all of the activities are also going to be fun.

Sam: Two things: the football game, and watch out for me and Molly on dynamic duo day!

NWN: If you could bring any dead celebrity back to life, who would you bring back, and why?

Lashay: I’d bring back Amy Winehouse. I love her, dude. She has an amazing voice, but she was wasted talent.

Sabrina: Marilyn Monroe. She is such an inspiration. She’s taught people that you shouldn’t care what others think as long as you are happy with yourself. She’s also taught women how to be independent.

Dylan: I’d bring back Martin Luther King Junior, because he was inspirational and he got killed for standing up for what was right. He didn’t deserve to die.

Kaylin: Dr. Seuss because he’s like my childhood and he has a lot to say. Even though his books are childrens’ books, they have such a deep meaning to them, and they make people smile.

Justin: Michael Jackson, because, well, c’mon, everyone loves Michael Jackson. He was inspirational to so many people.

Molly: Walter Payton, because he’s an influential figure as an athlete and as a person. I could get some good advice from him.

Rishi: Orson Welles. He was a radio guy, and he had an insane sense of visuals, audios, and everything. To bring him back to today’s society would be amazing.

Joey: Harry Carey. I’m a huge Cubs fan, and he was just such a character. He was an entertaining guy to listen to, and he would definitely be someone cool to chill with.

Faris: Walt Disney because of the impact he had on film and entertainment was so huge. It would be nice to talk to him about other ideas that he had.

Sam: Tupac, because he was really sort of a culmination of sensitive, thuggish, poetic, and eh was a representation of the every man.