He won homecoming king, then crowned his friend instead

Keni Cedanio Ramirez heard his own name called as homecoming king at a Mahanoy Area High School pep rally, and for a moment he was thrilled. Then he looked over at Axton Kuhl, the other nominee, who was standing in front of a packed gymnasium and finding the whole thing overwhelming. So the 17-year-old handed over his crown and sash, and the two friends embraced. Axton, who has Down syndrome, had been looking forward to homecoming for years. "He'll talk about it forever," his mother, Alyssa Shellhamer, said. Keni's younger brother has autism, and he said he would want someone to show his brother the same kindness one day. A video of the exchange circulated nationally, and strangers stopped Keni to say they were proud of him. He wasn't looking for any of it. "I just did what any friend would have done, and I tried to cheer him up," he said.