On working with DonateMyDress: “I had my prom dress forever until I became a part of the charity and donated it. It’s amazing to see girls’ faces light up [when given a dress]. It’s really fun because I get to interact with these girls and share the experience with them.�

On her own prom dress: “It was a really, really fitted full-length dress [covered] with bronze and gold sequins. It was a halter style and the neckline plunged. My mom made me take a shawl. She said, ‘I know your dad, and he’s not going to let you out of the house.’ So we got this really pretty sheer shawl to go over it [as a compromise].�

On planning for the big day: “Definitely plan ahead because the actual day can be kind of stressful. Planning everything out helps a lot. When picking out your dress, make sure you’re really comfortable in it because you are going to be dancing around, moving around, sitting, eating and all of that stuff.�

On what you should do and don’t do: “Be yourself and don’t overdo it. People have a lot of anticipation for an event like prom and end up overdoing it or wearing too much makeup. Really make sure you are comfortable because then you’ll feel beautiful, instead of going overboard and asking yourself, ‘Oh my gosh, what did I do?’�