Photography By Meredith Tankersley
Prom is supposed to be memorable for the experience – the dress, the dances, the time with friends – not for the price tag. But the cost of attending prom is waltzing toward $1,000, which may be enough to keep some young women from attending.
Howard Community College (HCC) students are helping to offset that cost for more than 40 young women in Howard County – where nearly 2,500 high school students live near or below the poverty line.
Last year, a campus clothing drive netted more than 100 donated prom dresses as well as shoes and accessories for the Perfect Prom Project. Twenty HCC students, ages 18 – 64, came together to put on a full suite, pre-prom primping party for the girls, complete with makeup artists, hair stylists and shopping 
coordinators.
The HCC students got something from the Perfect Prom Project, too. Besides helping the 40 girls get ready for the big night, the hospitality management students gained real-world event coordination skills that they will carry into the work force.
