Keystone Today

Desales University issued the following announcement on June 23.

DeSales did not forget about them; the student engagement and leadership office made sure of it. 

Nick Luchko, associate dean of students for engagement and leadership, knew that the Character U program wanted to host a prom for the students who missed out in high school due to COVID-19. While it took time to get the event off the ground due to the ever-changing nature of the pandemic, the excitement from students made it well worth the wait. 

“There were so many students that came up to me just to say thank you because they finally got to wear their prom dresses that had just been sitting since their junior or senior year of high school. It really felt like it was the final chapter of what was missed from 2020.”  

 Nick Luchko, associate dean of students for engagement and leadership

Luchko ensured that the office handled all of the logistics, including hosting the event at Bear Creek Mountain Resort, but he allowed the students to choose everything from the theme to the music and food. 

“I loved having the creative independence and being handed the reins as co-chair of the management committee,” said Nidhi Kumar ’24, a biology major.  

Students were able to have an experience that they otherwise would have missed out on because of the dedication of the DeSales staff and student body. Alumni even helped as the student life fund from Hearts on Fire helped to sponsor some of the events. 

In typical DeSales fashion, the event was a hit. Students took photos in the usual prom poses and danced the night away with friends, just as they would have back in high school. 

Paige Thompson ’24 (pictured above, right), who took charge of the planning process along with Kumar (pictured above, center) and Lucy Specht ’24 (pictured above, left), looked back on the event with appreciation.

“A reason I love DeSales University is the fact that no one will hesitate to help out, especially when it benefits others,” said Thompson, a medical studies major. “I think this was a tremendously amazing event and truly sets DeSales apart from other universities in the level of care for their students.”

Original source can be found here.