Jillian Peña
Editorial Director

Women across the Inland Empire stressed over what dress to wear, how to do their hair and which shoes made their freshly shaved legs look nicer Friday as they prepared for University of La Verne’s Winter Formal.

I must confess I was one of those women this weekend. It was like I was in high school all over again. There were giddy phone calls between friends trying to decide who was going to drive and where we were going to meet up before hand. High school memories came flooding back into my mind as I found myself sitting on the floor of my dorm room putting on my makeup.

I was strangely excited for the night. There were several pictures taken before we even left for the dance, and digital cameras flashes went off everywhere as people swore the next picture was going to go up on MySpace the next day.

It was nice seeing everyone dressed to impress when their usual attire screams “ I just got out of bed.”

We arrived at the dance casually late. The only distinctive difference from my high school dances was the fact we were being carded at the door.

Those who were 21 received wristbands that permitted them to buy beer from the bar.

It became evident almost immediately that most people did not need the bar whether they were 21 or not because they had come extremely happy to the event, if you catch my drift.

Over 300 students and friends piled into the Avalon on the Pomona fairgrounds. The theme of “ Hollywood among the Stars” shined. A gold, black and white color scheme went perfectly with giant Oscar cut outs that were placed next to the dance floor. Each table had a classic movie theme to it.

The decoration on the tables slowly disappeared as women and guys alike threw their purses, wallets, cameras and shoes on the tables. To be honest I do not know why most of the women even wore shoes because I saw more pairs of high heel strewn about then actually on anyone’s feet.

It was a shame how little attention anyone paid to all the work went into the room. The decorations were not important to the students crowded on the dance floor. With each song more and more people piled on to the floor.

I was impressed with the amount of rhythmical talent that so many people from ULV possessed. I spent most of my night on the dance floor, dancing until my poor feet could not handle it anymore, so I followed suit and took my heels off.

I danced with the people who mean the most to me at La Verne, my best friends, my sisters and you know that one guy who swears he can dance better than you even though you and everyone around knows that he can’t.

It seemed to be that way for everyone. Students took the dance as a chance to spend time with the important people in their lives. There was no stress of school or of the outside world.

So I must say, I tip my hat to the Campus Activities Board and the major events chairs, Michelle Ajemian and Cerina DeSouza; the event was a success.

Jillian Peña can be reached at jpeña2@ulv.edu.