With most of her high school life altered by a pandemic, Symphony J. was determined to rebuild community connections and end senior year on a positive note. She wanted to ensure that every student at The Young Women’s Leadership School (TYWLS) of Brooklyn could feel confident and beautiful at their prom, regardless of financial constraints. Her creativity, aptitude for fashion, and care for her community led to the school’s first-ever Prom Squad, showing that one thoughtful individual can leave a lasting impact.
Rebuilding School Spirit
A Brooklyn native with deep family roots in Bushwick, Symphony joined the TYWLS community in sixth grade. After nearly three years of remote and hybrid learning, social distancing, and personal losses, she came back to what felt like a subdued environment. Symphony decided to tap into her creativity and leadership skills to reignite school spirit in the first full “normal” year since the pandemic. As someone who loves dance, art, and “pretty much every extracurricular activity out there,” she was eager to get the school involved in projects that created a shared sense of community.
Initial efforts, like her attempt to restart intramural volleyball, didn’t gain momentum. Yet Symphony viewed each setback as a chance to try something new and further develop leadership skills she gained at TYWLS. Her community origami project was a labor of love to successfully get every student and faculty member in the school to create a piece of art and display them throughout the hallways. “Every time we walked out and saw the art, it was like seeing our bonds of sisterhood and friendship alive. We were missing that for most of our high school years.”
Prom Squad: A Community Effort
Symphony’s idea for Prom Squad began with several friends asking for advice on prom apparel, styling, and concerns about affordability. She soon launched Prom Squad as a community effort to inspire confidence on prom night by providing free dresses, alterations, and hair and nail care services for TYWLS Brooklyn’s Class of 2023. Symphony asked friends and family to donate clothes and accessories so that the cost of attire wouldn’t be a barrier for her fellow seniors to attend prom. She also contacted local businesses to donate their wares or their time for hair, makeup, and nail services, especially those experienced in styling customers with a variety of skin tones and cultural backgrounds. “I just want to support my friends and classmates, these girls that I’ve grown up with over the last seven years, to feel beautiful and confident on our prom night,” shared Symphony. “We went through so much together and we deserve this magical night to close out our high school years.”
Symphony rallied her community to volunteer over the course of two months, including her mother who was her biggest cheerleader. From social media and local outreach, to decorations and snacks, to managing donated materials and services, the mother-daughter duo breathed energy and kindness into what became known as the Prom Squad room. Symphony’s dance teacher also helped gather dresses and transform the school’s dance studio into the Prom Squad shop where girls picked their outfits; a friend’s mother provided free alterations.
On the day of prom, the students gathered at the school for free hair, makeup, and nail care and enjoyed snacks and drinks to celebrate the long journey they’ve been on together. “I was so involved in every detail of Prom Squad that by the time I actually arrived at prom, I only had an hour to enjoy it,” laughed Symphony. “It was all worth it to see everyone have a great time getting ready and sharing that memory together.”
I want to be surrounded by and support women and girls to lead their healthiest lives, whatever that might look like, and be someone that they can relate to.
Symphony J., TYWLS Brooklyn ’23
Future Success Lies in Helping Others
This fall, Symphony begins a new chapter at St. Francis College. She is still figuring out what future success will mean for her, but she knows she wants to continue building community wherever she goes. She aspires to be a midwife to support Black maternal health or to be a teacher. “I want to be surrounded by and support women and girls to lead their healthiest lives, whatever that might look like, and be someone that they can relate to.” As to her own expectations for her college experience, Symphony shared that she’ll allow herself to slow down for a little while. “I’ll learn how they run things around here, then I’ll be making changes when I come back in sophomore year.”
About The Young Women’s Leadership School (TYWLS) of Brooklyn
The Young Women’s Leadership School (TYWLS) of Brooklyn is one of six public girls’ schools in New York City launched by Student Leadership Network. The school provides girls and gender-expansive youth growing up in underserved communities with a high-quality college preparatory education from grades 6-12. Student Leadership Network supports TYWLS with funding for college and career exploration, enrichment programs for students, professional development for educators, and a dedicated college counselor.
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