Last week, Oak Park High School students nominated their peers for the 2025-26 Homecoming court. After school on Friday, Sept. 13, the winners’ names were announced over the loudspeakers. Among the three senior couples nominated are Emily Carranza and Hunter Lee.
The couple has been dating for over a year and met during summer school before their sophomore year.
“Hunter sat in front of me and I had a massive crush on him,” Carranza said.
At first, neither of them talked to each other. It was during their first hangout with friends that their relationship sparked.
“On the first day of summer, we went on a very cute, fun hangout; we went to Target, In-N-Out, Barnes & Noble, just a bunch of random places,” Carranza said. “After that, we instantly clicked and never stopped talking. And on the very first day of junior year, he asked me to be his girlfriend.”
Since then, Carranza and Lee have been on multiple dates. They often spend time together at underground concerts.
“They’re really fun,” Carranza said. “I get squished in the crowd, but [Hunter’s] always there to clear the way for me.”
Of all the times they’ve spent together, the couple’s one-year anniversary stands out as a special memory to Carranza.
“We went shopping and we went to the beach, and it was just so perfect,” Carranza said. “He’s my first boyfriend and I was very excited.”
Lee thinks of Carranza as “gorgeous, funny and sweet,” while Carranza sees him as “handsome, thoughtful and very sweet.”
Beyond their relationship, Carranza and Lee pursue their own passions.
“I do cheer, and that takes up a lot of my time because I have practices two days a week and games on Fridays,” Carranza said.
Lee, like Carranza, dedicates much of his time to athletics at OPHS.
“In my free time, I am either playing football—I have that five days a week—hanging out with Emily or playing video games,” Lee said.
When they aren’t busy with sports, the two can be found at Lee’s house.
“Her sisters are my sister’s age,” Lee said. “They come and we all have a big hangout. It’s real fun.”
Lee asked Carranza out to Homecoming at the recent football game, just as he did the year before. His sign read, “Tonight’s the night. It’s going to happen again: HoCo,” a reference to their favorite show, “Dexter.”
Despite being short on time, the couple managed to campaign for Homecoming nominations and succeeded.
“We told everybody to nominate us, but then we didn’t know that the voting day was the voting day, so we were panicking,” Lee said. “We just started running up and down everywhere and [telling people to vote for us]. We promised to give lollipops, but we didn’t give any; we kind of bribed people.”
When the senior nominees were announced, the couple’s mention didn’t come as a surprise to Lee. Carranza, on the other hand, was somewhat shocked.
Both of them are thrilled to be on the Homecoming court this year, and they plan to attend the dance on Saturday, Sept. 20.
“We’re very excited to be [on the Homecoming court],” Lee said. “We’ll get dinner before [the dance] and have a nice night.”
This article is part of a larger collection of stories covering the 2025-2026 Homecoming court. Check out the other nominees on our website.
