Kayla Wintz, East New York; Misa Franklin, East New York; and Adiza Kpapu, Williamsburg
You three came together as friends?
Misa: Yes. I met Kayla in middle school — that’s my best friend! And then Kayla met Adiza and they were the best of friends. Then Kayla introduced me to Adiza. We’ve been best friends ever since.
Adiza: Some people at school call us “the Big Three.”
Your looks are immaculate.
Misa: It was important to me. We never had an eighth-grade prom because of covid. It was my one and only time to put my best foot forward.
Kayla: We worked so hard to be able to graduate. That really made me want to go all out. This is my moment.
Adiza: I saw a video on the internet about Greek goddesses and queens, and I was like, This is perfect for me. I get called a Black queen all the time — that’s a brag.
How’d you all get here?
Misa: Me and Kayla took the same car, an Escalade — thank God. I don’t think I would’ve got to prom if it wasn’t an Escalade. I can’t sit in my dress; the corset is not letting me sit up. I had to lay down in the car.
Kayla Haulsey and Lauren Jones
Harlem and Downtown Brooklyn
Matthew Galicia
East New York
How is your ensemble being received?
People are saying I look nice, that I’m looking pretty dapper. And I’m like, “Okay, thank you.”
Elian Gonzalez
Williamsburg
Joslin Olivera and Amaya Bell
Flatlands and Flatbush
Who asked whom to prom?
Joslin: I asked her to prom. Takis are one of her favorite chips, so I said, “Are you Taki-ing me to prom?” And I made a poster that looked like a Takis bag. When she came home from school, I was there and had balloons, some candy, and an actual bag of Takis.
Leoandi Perez
East Williamsburg
Ashlee Bailey
Prospect–Lefferts Gardens
Amadou Diallo
Crown Heights
Sherpheire Moses
Canarsie
How’s the night going?
I won Prom Princess. I’m friendly with everybody, but I still thought somebody else was going to win. When I won, my energy went up.
Heaven Morales
Fort Greene
Lloyd Johnson
Ocean Hill
Is prom a big deal to you?
Honestly, I approached it as if it were the Met Gala. The theme was “Enchanted Garden,” and I knew I wanted to incite dialogue. So I was thinking, What if I created a deconstruction of a traditional prom outfit? There would be a suit, but it could be torn and wrapped around my waist like a corset. The outfit is everything I wanted it to be.
Allison Sanchez
Williamsburg
Na’Deijah Porter and Jahdoy Bromfield
Canarsie
Alana Ortega and Giselle Williams
Fort Washington and East New York
Are you planning to stay together after graduation?
Giselle: Yeah! I’m feeling confident in us. We trust each other. We are going to see each other way more than we expect. Whatever happens happens, but we have the best intentions in mind.
Alexander Quezada
Bushwick
Caroline Gutierrez
Cypress Hills
Photographs by Frankie Alduino
