And the Crown Goes To...

While Vikky and Deoine plan to attend different local colleges in the fall, they intend to stay close to each other, especially since they became engaged in December, as Deoine reveals during the interview by pointing to a ring on her finger. She says she would like to get married in New York, although that is not a legal option yet.

"We want the same things as somebody who's straight," she says. "So why can't we get it?"

Neither young woman considers herself an activist, but Deoine hints that she follows gay rights developments somewhat closely. She mentions Cynthia Nixon and Ellen DeGeneres as role models, and refers to Sergio Garcia, the 18-year-old Los Angeles student voted prom queen by his class in May.

Asked what they want to show through their title as "best couple" in their South Bronx high school, Deoine, who describes herself as the more talkative of the two, summarizes their agenda.

"I hope people can see that we're just people," she says. "Everybody should have an equal place somewhere, even if it's in a yearbook or getting married. We all should get the same rights as everybody else. It doesn't matter who we like, or what we want to do in life."