Senior Vivian Jin smiles in front of the student section after being named Homecoming queen. Jin was named queen during the homecoming football game at halftime. "The whole night was just really fun and honestly a bit nerve racking as we had to walk on cause there was a lot more people than I had expected" she said.
By Augusta McKenzie
The air was cool, the student section was covered in pink, and the student section was vibrant with excitement.
“I was getting more nervous [as it was] building up to it,” senior nominee Vivian Jin said.
Then it was announced that Jin had won the crown of homecoming queen.
It was just all kind of a blur, but everyone was really supportive and insanely nice to me.
The homecoming queen is nominated each year by a committee of senior varsity football players. They look for students who are in lots of extracurriculars and who are genuinely kind to everyone.
“We definitely took personality into consideration,” linebacker senior Tommy Rossley said. “People who are generally nicer to everyone. That's what we build [nominations] off of.”
Being crowned homecoming queen was an emotional moment for Jin, as this was the graduating class’s final homecoming together.
“It kind of hit me that this is our last homecoming,” Jin said. “This is gonna be our last time ever.”
Even though Jin wasn’t born in Highland Park, the community still means a lot to her. She was born in Georgia and lived there for a few years before moving west to the district, where she's lived ever since.
“I know everyone or I see everyone [in Highland Park], so I do like that part of it,” Jin said.
Throughout her time in the district, Jin has been an active participant of many parts of the school and various communities. She captains the varsity girl's basketball team, takes part in lots of clubs, is in the TAG program and makes rugs in her free time.
“[Vivian is] just a solid go-to player,” Varsity Basketball Assistant Beth Tallant said. “She's got a great shot, but besides being all things good at basketball, she's also just the light-hearted part of the team, not always taking things so seriously.”
Jin has been playing basketball since first grade at the YMCA and now she’s a point guard and a second year captain.
Everyone comes together for one thing, which I think is really interesting.
Though Jin has had challenges with basketball, like being a few inches shorter than most of her teammates, she doesn't let that stop her. She won Newcomer of the Year' during her freshman year, and with the team, she has won All District First Team and All Region First Team.
“She's a born leader,” Tallant said. “The no.1 reason why she's such a great captain is she couldn’t care less who gets the credit. She loves making her teammates shine.”
Jin first got into basketball because of her brother. The two are very close and she considers him to be a role model for her. Even with him off at college, the two still keep in touch.
“I really do look up to him,” Jin said. “I think he sets a good example for me and he just helps me with basketball and life.”
Her parents are also a big part of her life. High school has been stressful for Jin and she has had a full plate with all the numerous extracurriculars she takes part in, but her parents help relieve some of that stress and pressure Jin faces.
“I think a lot of pressure to do well comes from myself,” Jin said. “My parents give me no pressure, so they're the ones who tell me to stop. It's just that I want to do well and I want to succeed, but I also want to make my family proud in the future.”
Jin also participates in the TAG program. She began in second grade and the program has grown to be something that stands out as a core part of her.
As a senior, Jin has been looking into her future and hopes to travel when she’s older to visit as many places as she possibly can, however, she hopes to settle down as a criminal lawyer.
“I think I'm pretty hard working,” Jin said. “If I wanna do something, I’m gonna get it done. I might procrastinate a little, but overall, it's gonna get one way or the other. If I actually do care about something, I work at it.”
According to her peers and coaches, Jin is truly an asset to the community as she strives to be accepting and kind to not just the people she cares about, but also the people she barely knows.
“I think I'm really open-minded and accepting,” Jin said. “I won't judge you for anything because I'll probably have some of my own experiences with it.”