Today I am going to share my senior homecoming experience with you all.

I didn’t have a date or boyfriend to go with, so there was a few of us that planned on going as a group. The day of the dance, they decided to throw and anti-homecoming party instead of going to homecoming with me. So now I do not have a date or a group to go with. What do I do?!? Well, I decided to go by myself! Even though I was feeling a little anxious to go all by myself, I wanted to share this experience with you all because we should not be nervous. We should feel great to be getting dressed up and to feel beautiful. This is a moment in our high school lives we should experience.

As I was putting on makeup, I was becoming nervous thinking about how everyone will be staring at me being all alone at the dance. Believe it or not, I am shy and it makes me a little uncomfortable when all eyes are on me, but I thought I just need to go and be myself and be beautiful. And if I can do it, you can definitely do it. Just be confident, be strong and be yourself.

The whole time getting ready for the dance, I repeated to myself Be Yourself Be Strong and Be Beautiful.

Driving to the dance, I could not believe I actually did it. I am actually going to the high school dance by myself.

So many people have told me in my life that I am not good enough, not smart enough, not pretty enough, and that I may not ever accomplish my goals and dreams. But that is so UNTRUE! If we work hard and dedicate our time, we can do anything that we set our minds to. I have so many dreams, one of them is to be fluent in Spanish, and maybe someday be on The Ellen Show spreading kindness. Keep working towards your goals and push out all the negativity. Positivity will come when we believe in ourselves and focus on ourselves!

At the dance, I just remembered to walk in with confidence, keep my chin up high, and have fun! There were some uncomfortable moments, when groups would look at me because I am dancing alone but overall it was fun and a great learning experience. I even ran into some classmates there too.

Every difficult step we take in life helps us grow stronger. The key is to be true to yourself. I am so glad I went to my senior homecoming and I hope if there is anything you want to do, this will inspire you to believe in yourself and know that you can do it.

And ALWAYS remember to “Be Yourself Be Strong And Be Beautiful” ®.

-Alia Renee