Lashayvia Searcy spent Friday night getting dolled up for her junior prom, a night she almost missed out on.
Searcy’s mother lost her job around Christmastime last year. Searcy, 17, wasn’t sure if her mother had the money for everything she needed for prom: the shoes, the jewelry, the makeup and the dress.
“I always wanted to look cute, and I wanted to show off,” Searcy said about wanting to attend prom.
But one UF alumna and one soon-to-be UF graduate were able to make Searcy’s dream come true.
Gabrielle Burch and Brooke Cantrell, both 23, helped organize a prom giveaway for one student at Eastside High School.
Burch’s grandmother used to do prom giveaways until she passed away last March, she said. Her passing is what inspired the family, youth and community sciences graduate to continue the giveaways.
“Why not do a good deed and give back?” Cantrell said.
An online form asked applicants about why they wanted to win, their financial hardship and their goals after high school.
It was the second year that Burch and Cantrell, a UF agricultural operations management senior, have done the giveaway, but this year’s giveaway, which included both juniors and seniors, was different.
Last year, they only did hair and makeup, Burch said. But this year, they provided the dress, the jewelry, the shoes, the hair, the makeup, the purse and a stipend so Searcy can grab something to eat with her friends after prom.
The cost? About $475 and all out of pocket, Burch said.
At 5:30 p.m. Friday at the Campus Lodge apartment complex, Burch’s and Cantrell’s living room looked as if it were transformed into a miniature salon. Hair irons and makeup covered their counter.
Searcy’s twin, Shantayvia Searcy, 17, was at the makeover as well. The two cracked jokes and sang along to Nicki Minaj songs while Burch and Cantrell put Searcy’s hair into an updo for a look inspired by the prom’s theme: “The Great Gatsby.”
With a final coat of pink lipstick, Searcy went into a bedroom for the finishing touches. She emerged a few minutes later in an all-black dress with lace shoulders and two diamond brooches. She carried a matching lace clutch and a glittery pink mask.
Downstairs, she posed for pictures as her mother, Alisa Mosley, arrived in her car. Her little sister, La’Jayla Mosley, 6, immediately jumped out. Her mother got out right after and snapped pictures of her daughter.
After posing for more pictures, Searcy hopped in the car and drove off to prom.
[A version of this story ran on page 8 on 4/13/2015 under the headline “Student wins prom giveaway from UF student, alumna”]
Lashayvia Searcy, a 17-year-old Eastside High School junior, poses while her mother, Alisa Mosley, takes her photo. Searcy won a prom giveaway put on by two UF graduates worth approximately $475.
