Prom Night!

Korrin B.

February 14, 2009 - 5:00 PM

After going to UTSAV last week, when I found out about the International Student Association's Global Heart Warming Dance, I knew I had to go. It would be part of my quest to become more involved and aware of the interesting events happening on campus in the community. Every year, ISA puts on a winter formal dance. Many students visiting from other countries have never experienced what an American high school prom is like, so this events helps to enact what that is like.

After I got off work at 5:30pm on Friday, I drove over to my friend's apartment to get ready for the dance. We were all pretty excited. There were four of us going together. I brought two dresses with me, but quickly decided on one. I got dressed in my white, sparkly dress that had big black polka dots all over it and a bright red ribbon tied around the middle. I threw on some black, patent leather heels, added a little sparkle to my eye shadow, and was ready to go!

When we first showed up to the event, which was held in Agate Hall, there weren't that many people there. I'm not going to lie, it was a bit awkward. However, I feel as though that helped to catch the true awkward essence of an actual high school prom. The prom where everyone is a bit too shy to actually start dancing, so they just hang out by the snack table (which we did for a while). Later in the evening, more people showed up and we actually got to do some dancing. It was so much fun to just be dorks and not care about anything. We were just dancing and having a fun time hanging out together. It also felt great to help support this event put on by the International Students Association.
They had decorated the place perfectly. There were colorful balloons everywhere and even a cake put out on the snack table. Outside of the dancing area, they had even set up a spot where you could get "professional" prom photos taken. The four of us sat on the bench in front of the prom background they had created and got our photo taken. It was pretty awesome. Back inside the dancing area, the DJ seemed to be having the most fun. He was dancing to every song he played, full of energy, and was great at taking our requests.

Overall, the night was pretty amazing. I love being able to hang out with my friends and just be goofy. It was also great being a part of such an event. It gave me a connectedness to my university. I think that more students should go to and participate in events like these. Personally, I think that events like these are an excellent alternative to what has unfortunately become the traditional college Friday night out of "getting wasted." But maybe that's just me.