Teen with Down syndrome voted prom king by classmates

CHICAGO (FOX 32 News) - Prom season is wrapping up and it's sure to be a memorable one for the students at Lake Central High School in Northwest Indiana.

Jacob Kiefor has Down syndrome, but he wanted to run for prom king and his classmates made it happen.

Going to senior prom is a rite of passage as you leave high school. But for 18-year-old Jacob Kiefor, becoming prom king was his goal that night.

It's something his friend/prom date and sister wanted to make a reality. So, they started the hashtag #JacobForPromKing.

"I was not expecting so many to do so and everybody voted for him. There was not one person against it," said Jacob's prom date Camryn Halfeldt.

His mother warned him not to get his hopes up, but Down syndrome wouldn't keep him from the prom court. He was selected and was just one step away from being crowned.

"As a mom I worry so much, is he being picked on, is he being bullied and every time I worry, something like this happens," said mother Melanie Bennitt.

His classmates made him Lake central high school's prom king!

"I was thinking, wow, I actually did it. I was so happy that people supported me and it felt really nice. I was really surprised," Jacob said.

"I was chocking up and I couldn't look at him. I gave him a big hug, it was amazing, no words to describe it," Halfeldt added.

King Jacob, as everyone now calls him, is very much in demand these days. He hopes to inspire others.

"We bring some hope for other people's families," Jacob said.

He wants to encourage people to never let a disability slow you down.

Jacob is set to graduate in two weeks. He says he hopes to enter the workforce where he can be in an office with his own desk.