"Everybody here loves her," one student said.

"Ever since she started high school, when she found out there is a homecoming queen, she has wanted to be homecoming queen," her mother, Ramonda, said.

In her addition to her trademark smile, Dugas was wearing a short, dark blue dress to celebrate the occasion.

"It's got sequins on it, top and the bottom, and (my) high heels are silver," she said. "Everybody loves my new dress."

Dugas said she felt "honored and loved" by what transpired.

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. (center) is flanked by GOP whip Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo. (left) and Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, as Thune speak to reporters at the Capitol in Washington on Tuesday, July 1, 2025. Earlier Tuesday, the Senate passed the budget reconciliation package of President Donald Trump's signature bill of big tax breaks and spending cuts. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

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