This young Oregon student has a smile fit for a queen.
Katie Shipley, a high school senior with a developmental disorder, was crowned prom queen on Saturday after receiving an overwhelming 200 votes from her classmates -- a record number in the history of her school, NBC reported.
"I had the most votes in school, in the whole world," Shipley told KGW. "They made me feel happy."
Earlier this year, the 18-year-old student at Southridge High School in Beaverton, Oregon, expressed a desire to her friends to be part of the prom court -- the group of students nominated to take the prom king and queen titles. Shipley’s classmates rallied behind her and campaigned to get her onto the court with the date of her choice -- classmate Mike Parks. On May 16 at the World Trade Center in Portland, before a cheering audience she was crowned queen, Oregonlive reports.
"She's really joyful. I've never seen her not smiling," Parks said to the news outlet. "She's so loving and caring and fun to be around."
Shipley was born with a rare chromosome disorder, KGW reported, and is a student in Southridge’s special education program. She was in class earlier this month when her friends surprised her with the news she’d been nominated a prom princess, as shown in the video below. After taking home the crown as queen, Shipley sent handwritten notes expressing her gratitude to her friends and classmates.
"I like being prom queen," she said in an interview with The Oregonian/Oregonlive. "Prom queen is my favorite thing."
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