Both Misael Vargas and Reese Wood felt a mixture of disbelief and shock to hear their names called out over the microphone in the fieldhouse last weekend at the final Round Up dance when the last Mr. and Miss Raiders were announced.
“The second I found out I won, I was speechless,” Vargas said. “I felt a mix of feelings between ecstatic and surprised.”
“I think I disassociated,” Wood said. “I don’t remember throwing my hands up, but I guess I did.”
Wood, who was partnered with her boyfriend and Mr. Raider nominee Tanner Poirot for the assembly dance, enjoyed getting to experience the process with him. She was initially sad that they didn’t both win, but thought it was cool to have a different combination of people.
The experience overall was enjoyable for the two, including everything from their video interviews to the dancing.
“It was easy because I got to do it with my boyfriend, so we could practice a lot,” Wood said. “The best part was just going to practices and everyone smiling and laughing and looking at the dance.”
Vargas’ experience with the dancing part was a little different at first, but his feelings toward it changed over time.
“Prior to Round Up, I actually hated dancing and I have always been super awkward about it, but through this I actually ended up finding out that I love to dance,” Vargas said.
Both seniors stay active outside of school. Wood, who wants to go into education after graduating, is involved in soccer, track and TAFE. Vargas stays busy between owning and running a restaurant, being a senior class officer and being involved in key club, Spanish club, TAME and band.
With their participation in so many organizations and various leadership roles, it’s no surprise the two had a large group rooting for them. However, they still maintained a great sense of humility.
The significance of being the last to hold these honorable titles is not lost on Vargas and Wood. Each has expressed a great amount of gratitude toward their classmates who rooted and voted for them.
“I know we all kind of joked about it in the videos we made, but it really was super cool and an honor out of all the seniors to be the Miss Raider,” Wood said.
“I feel like I will always carry a part of Rider with me and there truly aren’t words that are able to describe how grateful and honored I feel,” Vargas said.
