Dashawna Wright
Staff Writer
High heels, sparkly dresses and crowns are in the air for high school seniors all across the nation as prom season has arrived. Miss Senior, Tyinnia Jenkins, an elementary education major from Chicago, Ill., promised a few high school girls that their “Dream Prom” was going to become a reality.
With the help of many supporters and donators, Jenkins met her goal of collecting over 160 prom dresses by April 1. As a result, Jenkins couldn’t hold back the excitement that she felt about reaching her goal.
“I’ve been preparing for this event for over eight months and collecting dresses. I’m really excited that I was actually able to help these young ladies and it warms my heart to know that my service meant something to someone,” said Jenkins.
The girls who had the opportunity to attend the event were also excited. As the girls rushed over to the racks that were filled with beautiful gowns, they were allowed to try on as many dresses as needed to discover the dress that best fit them. Along with the racks filled with dresses, there were other treats there for the young girls and their parents to enjoy.
A table with shoes, accessories, hair care products, and snacks were available for the guests. To add a cherry on top, five girls were selected in a raffle drawing to get their makeup done by Jaelah Keely, a professional makeup artist, on the day of prom.
Keely, a sophomore chemistry major from Saint Louis, Mo., was thankful to be given the opportunity to help her fellow peer and to give five girls the dream prom of their lives.
“This event is super important because some girls aren’t as fortunate to go out and purchase these things on their own, and the fact that people were willing to donate and girls were able to come and pick out what dresses they wanted,” said Keely. “I’m providing my makeup service to five lucky girls and I’m just super excited that I was able to be apart of this.”
Latasha House, a parent and JSU alumnus from Flint, Mich., felt that this event was very beneficial especially for those who can’t afford expensive prom dresses.
“I think this event is very important, it helps a lot of people who need this and it is a good experience for the young ladies and young men to enjoy it. Although prom can become expensive, this is a great opportunity for people to go out and still be able to enjoy themselves without breaking the bank,” said House.
Jenkins hopes that this effort will encourage others to continue her platform to help other high school girls in years to come. She leaves this message for the future Miss Seniors at Jackson State University.
“Always remember what service is and what service can do, because you never know what type of services that you offer and the impact on someone,” said Jenkins. “Continue the legacy because you never know how many lives you may change with this project.”
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