Teenager with Down Syndrome is crowned homecoming king - by Monica

For my friend Mellissa’s 21st birthday party, Kristy and I, along with our friend Molly, went to Frankenmuth. For all you non-Michiganders out there, Frankenmuth is a touristy town about an hour and a half north of our campus at Oakland University. Frankenmuth is a town known for its cheese, beer, quaint shops and German restaurants (with the waiters and waitresses dressed in old-fashioned attire). We decided to dress up in sequins and high heeled boots for the special occasion and, for all of you newly informed readers, you probably aren’t surprised when I tell you that when we arrived at the bar, filled with locals in their jeans and sweat shirts, people blatantly stopped what they were doing and stared at us…and not in a friendly way either. We stuck out like four sore thumbs.

Saying we felt out-of-place was an understatement.

The local news was set to every TV. And, with not much else to do, we watched.

What was on made me forget completely about the locals, staring us down from head-to-foot with noses upturned, and it showed me that, while some people are rude and make fun of those different than they are, others embrace differences. And it made me feel selfish -- why was I so embarrassed about wearing a dress in a bar, a tangible item I could change as soon as I got back to our room, when there are people who get stared down wherever they go, and it’s not something they can take off.

Many times I hear about cruel kids making fun of those with disorders, students who are different than they are.

But not the kids at Fenton High School.

Tyler Fitzgerald is not your average student. He is so much more than that. He doesn’t let anything bring him down.

Fitzgerald was born with Down Syndrome, and, in October, he was voted homecoming king at Fenton High School. He is, obviously, one of the most popular guys in school and is also on his school’s football team. The homecoming queen had tears in her eyes as she talked about how far Fitzgerald has come and how honored she was to be sharing the court with him. Fitzgerald hopes to be an actor in Hollywood someday.

I don’t think anything can hold Fitzgerald down. He gives hope and inspiration to people everywhere to not let so-called differences hold them back from their dreams.

When many of us feel different, all we want to do is hide in a corner until it all goes away. But not Fitzgerald. He makes the most out of life and doesn’t care what people think. And his fellow classmates love him for it.

I don’t know about you, but I’ll be looking for Fitzgerald on the silver screen someday.