Dazzling dresses hang on the rack, ready to be showcased on the runway, but they are far from the catwalk right now. Instead, they hang in an elementary school, and their designer is standing in a third grade classroom explaining what his job as a fashion designer entails.

A third grade girl named Rocio Romero listens in awe as an interest for the fashion industry ignites in her. Six years later, as a freshman, Romero decided to take Fashion Construction 1. She learned basic sewing skills and the class was a catalyst for discovering her love for sewing, which grew so much that she decided to try something few people do: she decided to make her own prom dress.

“I took the class and I was like ‘Wow, this is pretty cool’,” Romero said. “I made a skirt and then I was like ‘Oh, hey, I actually like doing this.’ Even if I’m not good at sewing, whatever it is, I want to do something with fashion.”

Romero currently works on the dress in her Advanced Fashion Construction class taught by Marissa Heyer, who has a bulletin board decorated with pictures of students who made their prom dresses. Heyer has helped Romero with techniques and has been able to foster growth in Romero’s abilities.

“She’s developed a lot of skills,” Heyer said. “She has a great desire to learn while also working independently. She knows that sometimes there’s going to be setbacks, but she’s able to keep going.”

Romero bought over three yards of silky red fabric, along with red lace material, and is using a pattern for a one-shouldered fitted dress that flares out towards the bottom. She works on it in the classroom and will take it home to work on parts she feels confident in doing independently.

“This whole thing is going to be a learning process for me because I’ve never sewn a dress before,” Romero said. “Hopefully, it doesn’t end up looking like Cinderella when her stepsisters came and tore the dress apart. Hopefully, I can wear this dress to prom, which is the goal.”

**Editors note: Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, FHN Prom has been rescheduled to May 22**