Senior superlatives have been a staple for students for many years. Seniors have the opportunity to vote on their fellow peers for things such as best dressed or best personality. This is a great way for students to get one last memory in before they leave high school and pursue careers in the real world. Oct 8,2021, students voted for their peers' superlatives. One of these was the Biggest Social Butterfly. This superlative means that these students' peers saw them as someone who has made a memorable impact on their high school experience.
Courtney Honnold is the female nominated for this superlative. Honnold makes it her goal to greet everyone she can and make them feel appreciated. She was surprised she got this superlative.“I knew I talked to a lot of people throughout the school day, but I didn't realize it was enough people to earn my own superlative for it, ” said Honnold. Honnold loves meeting new people. She only gets stage fright when she's about to perform or if she's presenting in front of a large crowd.
Honnold thanked her family for being so social. She said, “My parents taught me to be nice to everybody because you never know how someone's day is going. I might be the only person to smile, talk, or wave to them, and that could possibly make their day. I was taught to always be a light and show kindness no matter someone's situation, and I take that very personally and do my best everyday to make everyone feel important and cared about in some way.” Honnold overcomes talking to strangers by trying to, “break the ice.” She also sees everyone as just a friend and thinks there's no need to worry.
Ruben Bautista was the male nominee for Social Butterfly. Bautista was surprised by this superlative because as he puts it, “It was, because I usually don't talk to people whose energy I don't like, which is a lot. Sometimes I'm not even fully engaged with my friends, because I'm distracted by my thoughts.” Bautista is not one to be shy though, he will talk to anyone who gives him the time of day.
He only gets shy when he's auditioning. Although Bautista seems to have a natural gift of being social, he has encountered his bullies, Bautista said, “I'm queer, so I am made fun of all the time. I'm used to it and others' opinions about me don't matter much because of that, so I usually don't feel awkward with people in normal situations. My experiences also made me think about my morals and how I see others; I think I'm very respectful, especially toward minorities in any form because of that.”
The nominees may come from different backgrounds, but share the common desire to be caring towards others. They have both earned the spot as Biggest Social Butterflies. Honnold and Bautista both will continue to make it their goal to brighten everyone’s day.