On Friday, Feb. 11, one might have noticed groups of students dressed to their best walking across campus. These students were heading towards a night of music, dancing, performances, food and more at the Pride Prom in the Student Union ballroom.
The Pride Prom, held from 7 to 10 p.m., had a big turnout as university students celebrated themselves and their community. The event was organized by the Campus Event Board in collaboration with Student Engagement and the Pride Center. The theme of the evening was “An Enchanted Garden.”
When walking into the event, students were greeted with orange and white balloons and a curtain of vines at the entrance, emphasizing the theme of the evening. Prior to entry, students had the option to make their own corsages in a room across the hall. With a table full of multi-colored flowers, participants excitedly enhanced their prom experience as they put together their corsages and headed through the doors.
The event was important for a number of reasons. Students who were in high school when the COVID-19 pandemic started were grateful for the opportunity to experience the prom they never got to have. For others, they were able to be themselves without any restrictions on who they could bring and celebrate their evening with.
Natalee Jobert, senior and president of the Campus Event Board, stressed the importance of the Pride Prom for students to express themselves and embrace their authentic selves to the fullest.
“We really wanted to put on this event to create a space for students, especially LGBTQ+ students, where they could be their authentic selves and really enjoy themselves,” Jobert said. “I think that’s really important for the university to show that we are welcoming of all kinds of students from diverse backgrounds and that we want to have spaces where they can be authentic and celebrate themselves.”
Sophomore Robert Ross, attending with the Pride Center, was dressed to the nines Friday night as he gave his take on the importance of the Pride Prom for LGBTQ students, as well as students who graduated high school during the pandemic.
“Well, I think the Pride Prom is very important to the university because many people from our community, you know, typically were not welcomed at our proms at our old high schools. To be given this opportunity at college is absolutely wonderful,” Ross said. “Not to mention the fact that many of us who graduated in the last few years didn’t get a prom.”
Emma Nair, another member of the Campus Event Board, has a passion for event planning and enabling students to have events where they feel welcomed and included.
“Personally, I love planning events on campus, I love planning events for everybody on campus and trying to make them the most inclusive,” Nair said. “It’s a prom for everybody, especially in light of COVID, a lot of people never got to go to prom or their prom got canceled, or a lot of times people were unable to bring the date they wanted due to restrictions of their school.”
The night was filled with music, food and performances from a few Drag Queens who looked stunning as they pumped up the crowd. It was a night for students to celebrate freely, without any judgment or worries. Students danced gleefully as they finally had the chance to celebrate the prom they never got to have.
Pride Prom featured drag performances by local drag Queens. Michelle Stiletto (pictured) poses after performing on Friday, Feb. 11, 2022.
