Charleston student becomes first Black homecoming queen in school’s history

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Homecoming: it’s an exciting night for any high schooler, but especially one that Amber Wilsondebriano, a senior at Porter-Gaud School in Charleston, will never forget.

“On homecoming night the stands were filled to the brim. I couldn’t even see people’s faces because everybody was just right up against the stands,” Amber Wilsondebriano said.

This past fall, Amber Wilsondebriano made school history. She became the first-ever African-American homecoming queen in Porter-Gaud’s 156-year-long history.

“We had the administrators look through all of the yearbooks and see has there been a first Black homecoming queen before? And they found out that I was officially the first one,” Amber Wilsondebriano said.

With news of the win, Amber Wilsondebriano said she felt acceptance.

“I really felt like I belonged in this space and people weren’t questioning the fact that I was the one who won. People came up to me who were younger, of all ethnicities, and people who were older and they gave me a hug and they said congratulations. And from the bottom of my heart I could feel it was so sincere,” Amber Wilsondebriano said.

Her parents are also celebrating.

“When I saw Amber’s arms go up, I said, ‘Wait, she just won. She just won!’ And I let out a scream I didn’t even know I had. I was like where is that sound coming from?” Amber’s mom, Monique Wilsondebriano said.

“They chose Amber because of who she was. The type of friend she was, the type of student she was, the type of person she was. So that to me fit—all what came to my mind was that’s what Dr. King’s dream was about—to be judged not by the color of your skin. It’s by the content of your character,” Chevalo Wilsondebriano, Amber’s dad, said. “It brought a tear to my eye because I thought about all the legacy, all you know the struggle, all of that to get to a point in society where you know color doesn’t matter. It’s the content of your character and that happened here at this school.”

Amber Wilsondebriano’s historic win made national headlines, placing her and Porter-Gaud in the spotlight.

“High schools have homecomings, but I do think that ours is special because it’s not just a popularity contest, right? It’s really about someone who is a student who we would want to show as the ideal student,” Porter-Gaud Head of Upper School Silvia Davis said.

Davis and Head of School DuBose Egleston commend Amber, whose peer-voted homecoming queen title doesn’t come without merit. The 4.66 GPA student is also the co-leader of the Chinese club, the co-founder of the art club and the co-founder of the Black Excellence Society— a space to create community and connections while showcasing diverse representation at the private school.

“I feel such a passion for getting involved in the community because it’s so important to my heart. You can always find the time to do these types of things,” said Amber Wilsondebriano.

“And to have students like Amber who’ve been here 12 years and to see the impact that they’ve made, I think the fact that that gets celebrated in a homecoming court really points to the way peers see each other and the fact that she embodies that belonging that we talking about,” Egleston said.

Egleston explained the changes the once all-boys school founded in 1867 has gone through leading up to this historic first.

“I’m a graduate of Porter-Gaud, finished in ‘93. And at least for me it’s neat to see the changes over the years. We are a lot bigger. Amber’s class is probably twice as large as mine, but the other significance in terms of significantly more girls when I graduated and the student diversity is a lot different,” Egleston said.

Amber Wilsondebriano is looking forward to the future without forgetting those who will come after her.

“I’ve always dreamed of being someone who can inspire younger Black girls, but I didn’t know how to approach that or how I could even get my voice out there. And this just really resonated with my heart and I felt like this is what I was called to do,” she said.

She’s hoping to continue making waves in the classroom and surrounding community.

“I want people to know that representation really matters and it’s so important to show up and let people see your face because some people may not have that type of role model and I’m so honored and grateful that I get to be that person,” Amber Wilsondebriano said. “Sometimes it can feel really disheartening and hard to be somebody who has this sort of responsibility to educate people about diversity. But what I want people to know is that needs to be something taken on with pride.”

With just a few months left of high school, Amber Wilsondebriano plans to attend the Savannah College of Art and Design and has big plans for the future.

“I really want to illustrate children’s books and write books for teens or children, people like me to learn how to be their authentic selves. I really hope that I can model and act and do really anything that’s possible,” Amber Wilsondebriano said.

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