Teen picked as a joke for homecoming gets last laugh

The Michigan teen who was picked by classmates for homecoming court as a joke got the last laugh this weekend when she stepped onto the football field as the center of attention, with cameras flashing and cheers ringing in her ears, the Detroit Free Press reports.

"I'm overwhelmed," Ogemaw Heights sophomore Whitney Kropp said later, with flowers in her hair and the straps on her red dress sparkling under the stadium lights in West Branch on Friday night.

The 16-year-old, who said she had once contemplated suicide after being made the butt of jokes, had decided instead to face down her bullies.

The community, in turn, rallied behind Whitney for the homecoming event, donating her gown, jewelry, shoes, hair and makeup for the big event.

"Whitney is strong ... I don't know that I would have had the courage to go," said sophomore Heather Oyster, 15.

The Detroit News reports that Whitney supporters wore hats, scarves and bandanas in orange -- her favorite color -- to the homecoming game, and shouted "Whit-ney, Whit-ney" during the halftime event.

Whitney says the whole affair has given her a chance to deliver a message to others like her. "The kids that are bullying, do not let them bring you down," she says. "Stand up for what you believe in, and go with your heart and go with your gut. That's what I did, and look at me now.

Then she adds: "I'm just as happy as can be."