By Lori EhdeFormer Luverne High School homecoming kings Andrew Dooyema and Jonathan Foster fondly remember coronation, but today, they’re on to bigger and better things.Andrew, who has Down syndrome, is working part-time at Luverne Community Hospital and is looking for opportunities to live on his own.Jonathan, who has cerebral palsy, leaves today for six months of rehabilitation in Minneapolis where he’ll learn living skills — which he hopes will lead to college and a job.Both recall the happy details of homecoming as if it happened yesterday."I was shocked," said Andrew, now 21, about his 2000 crowning. "I couldn’t believe I was on the ballot, and then when they voted for me … I couldn’t believe it."Jonathan, now 20, said his reaction to being crowned homecoming king in 2003 was similar."It was something I never expected," he said. "It was very surprising. Never in my wildest dreams did I think the kids thought that much of me to give me such an honor."If being crowned homecoming king wasn’t overwhelming enough, the press coverage that followed was.Their stories appeared in local, regional and national publications, and both were interviewed by area television crews.Bittersweet successThey enjoyed their time in the spotlight, but they said their fame and glory was somewhat bittersweet, because it made them poster children for their disabilities.They wanted to be accepted as "normal," and they were both well aware that national media typically don’t interview "normal" homecoming kings.For Andrew, the publicity meant answering questions about Down syndrome. "I usually don’t tell people about it," he said. "I like to keep it to myself."After seeing what happened to Andrew two years earlier, Jonathan had actually made up his mind to decline requests for interviews."At first I didn’t want to do it … If it were anyone else, they wouldn’t get that kind of coverage," Jonathan said about television crews requests for interviews. "But then I realized it could help other kids like me."It turned out to be the right decision.His story appeared not only in mainstream newspapers and television broadcasts, but he’s also been featured in disability specialty magazines.He’s clear about what he wants others with disabilities to learn from his experiences: "I want to tell people to hold their heads high and strive for their goals, because anything and everything is possible if you want to do it and you put your mind to it."Andrew’s story similarly inspired other people with Down syndrome.The Dooyemas were inundated with correspondence from families who said the homecoming story was both comforting and motivating.Life lessons for ‘normal’ peoplePam Dooyema said the homecoming story was inspiring for special needs people, but she said Jonathan and Andrew have an important message for everyone."You spend a lot of time wishing things were different, but Andrew and Jonathan are not at all that way," she said. "These two are really quite happy with who and what they are."At a recent convention for special needs families, she said Andrew, Jonathan and an autistic person were asked what they would change about themselves, if anything."Not one of these kids wanted to change their disability," Pam said. "So many of us without special needs are running around trying to change things about ourselves."She said her son moved people to tears with his perspective on the value of life. "Andrew told them, ‘I know a lot of people abort babies when they find out they have Downs, but you need to take those babies home and love them like my mom did.’"Despite the honor of being homecoming kings, Andrew and Jonathan say it hasn’t changed them."I’m a very positive person," Jonathan said. "I don’t see myself as someone with a disability."His mother, Carol Foster, said her son has always been that way."He looks at himself as being normal," she said. "He’s always looked at his disability as something he wouldn’t let get in the way of doing what he wanted."Andrew also refuses to see himself as a person with disabilities.He’s proud of his job in the maintenance department of the hospital, and he hopes to pick up more hours when the new hospital opens next summer.Friends foreverOne goal is to be like Jonathan and leave Luverne for awhile on his own. "I look up to Jonathan, and I’m going to miss him," Dooyema said, admitting he’s a bit jealous.The two have been close friends for years. They particularly enjoy talking about politics (neither are voting for Bush this year) and professional sports (they’re avid Minnesota Vikings fans).Jonathan said he hopes to keep in touch with Andrew by phone. "Andrew is a good person," he said. "I think we’ve gotten close as friends."Jonathan’s goals are to go to college and have an office job. He sees his upcoming stint at Courage Center as a stepping stone to achieving that goal. The Golden Valley rehabilitation center will evaluate Jonathan and determine whether college will be feasible.Meanwhile, he sees the move, as the achievement of another life goal: to move out of his parents house and be on his own."I told my mom, I will never be back here to live again," Foster said with a smile. "But I’ll come back and visit."