OH senior Dyani Torres's childhood dream finally came true. On June 27, on a stage at Aurora University, Torres was crowned Miss Puerto Rico of Aurora, and she proudly embraces her new role as an influential figure for young Puerto Rican women.
“[[Being Puerto Rican]] is a part of my culture and who I am, so I decided to step out of my comfort zone [[by entering the contest]] and give it a try,” she said.
Torres had always gone to the Puerto Rico parades in downtown Aurora since she was a young girl.
When Torres won, she had many mixed feelings. “Once they announced my name, that's when I felt overwhelmed with emotions. I felt excited, happy, and then just hearing all my family in the crowd was definitely an unreal feeling.”
The new Mexican cuisine restaurant, Freddie’s Off The Chain, recently opened up in downtown Oswego on Apr. 1. However, Freddie’s is already more than familiar with the food business, starting out as a food truck after the passing of the owner’s son, Freddie.
Freddie’s General Manager, Armando Duran, said, “My older brother’s name was Freddie…he had battled with drug addiction, and he ended up passing in 2017. My mom [[Mona Herrada]] was kind of lost, but my brother always wanted her to open a restaurant, so that’s kind of how the taco truck started going.”
From just watching nail TikToks, OH senior Nina Segarra was inspired to do her own Gel-X nails, which sprouted a new business that quickly gained popularity among her friends and family.
“I started because it’s so expensive to go to a salon," Segarra explained, "and I hated acrylic nails. So I wanted to try something else, like Gel-X, because it has been trending on TikTok.”
Segarra started doing her own nails in early 2025, shortly after she started practicing on her friends for free. As she gained more experience and confidence in her work, she decided to make a business of it and created her Instagram account @nails_n1na.
Halloween’s spooky atmosphere causes many people to wonder about the supernatural history of Oswego and the surrounding area. October is a perfect time to dive into the haunted legends surrounding the town. But are there ghosts lurking in our midst? OH library director Andrew Mundsinger and OH senior Payton Mercil believe so.
OH hallways and classrooms are filled with squishy ice creams, donuts, gumdrops, and plenty more.
Needohs are making a bigger and better return since their first wave of popularity in the mid 2010s, bringing stress relief and a little fun back into students' daily lives.
Needohs, which are made in many different shapes and designs, are often collected for their unique shapes. OH junior Payton Forbes said, “My favorite Needoh is the ice cream [[one]] or the cool cat.”