Prom Queen Gives Her Crown Away to Friend With Down Syndrome

Keilany Solano handed over her sash and tiara to her classmate Abby Cano on prom night. (Photo: Twitter/Keepitdigital.com)
Keilany Solano handed over her sash and tiara to her classmate Abby Cano on prom night. (Photo: Twitter/Keepitdigital.com)

Keilany Solano, a senior at Leander High School in Texas, was thrilled to be crowned prom queen at her school dance — but decided to give her title away to a classmate she felt was more deserving.

The 17-year-old handed over her sash and tiara to one of the other five 2017 prom queen nominees, Abby Cano — a fellow high school senior, who has Down syndrome. Cano was thrilled with Solano’s kind gesture and thanked her classmate. The special moment between the two was documented and posted to Twitter.

“I decided to give Abby the tiara and sash because I knew at that moment she would be happier than me — and she deserved it because she would remember and appreciate that moment more than me,” Solano tells Yahoo Style. “She was extremely happy and was smiling so hard when I put the tiara and sash on her.”

Abby Cano was thrilled with Keilany Solano’s gesture. (Photo: Twitter/Keepitdigital.com)
Abby Cano was thrilled with Keilany Solano’s gesture. (Photo: Twitter/Keepitdigital.com)

“Abby is a sweet girl, and I like how she’s always positive. She can put a smile on anyone’s face,” Solano shares about her classmate.

The two embraced after Keilany Solano handed over her sash and tiara to Abby Cano on prom night. (Photo: Twitter/Keepitdigital.com)
The two embraced after Keilany Solano handed over her sash and tiara to Abby Cano on prom night. (Photo: Twitter/Keepitdigital.com)

To Solano’s surprise, her classmates decided to commend her for her kind gesture on prom night by staging another ceremony during class.

“When they re-crowned me, I was surprised and felt honored to have all my friends and teachers around me,” Solano says. “It made me feel special, and it was a moment I’ll never forget.”

She says that her peers were impressed by her actions on prom night. “My classmates were very proud of me,” she notes. “They also said they weren’t surprised because of how nice I am to them.”

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