Many high school students have been looking forward to prom and preparing months in advance. The prom season is one that includes various preparations, and each way of celebrating prom is unique to each student. Juniors Juliana Beans and Jocelyn Oceguera discuss how they are anticipating the prom season carrying out, and the arrangements that are already in place. 

      “I’m pretty prepared as far as you can be before the actual prom. I’ve bought tickets and my dress, and I have appointments for my hair, makeup, etc. As stupid as it sounds, I’m actually really excited,” Beans said.

      The consensus among Oceguera and Beans is that although prom can come with a series of plans that need to be made, the functional and logistic aspects of preparing still come with their own excitements. 

     “I got my dress about a month or so ago, just in case there’s nothing left in stock. I did the same thing with my shoes too, because I was really worried that if I waited until the last second that there’d be nothing left. I really enjoy the process of making plans and getting ready, I feel like it makes the event mean more,” Oceguera said.

     While prom may seem to some like another school dance, there is certainly something to be said about the atmosphere it creates. Celebrating the end of the school year, the end of standardized testing, and the kickoff to summer is something that many students find incredibly invigorating.

     “We’ve had such a weird first half of our high school experience, so I’m really excited to be able to spend my junior prom with my closest friends and my boyfriend,” Oceguera said.

     Prom objectively means different things to different people. Whether it be the act of dressing up, spending time with people that mean the most, or letting go of stress, prom acts as a collective experience for upperclassmen to acknowledge the amount it has taken to get to that point.

     “My boyfriend is leaving in the summer, and I won’t see him for about two years. Obviously, that has been very emotional for me, and so prom is one of the last times we will be able to have a relaxing and enjoyable big outing together,” Beans said.

     Despite the differing aspects of interest, prom has provided an opportunity for students to engage with each other, and to appreciate the hard work that they have done this school year.