Joy Prom brings smiles, connections

Dancing, a cappella performances and the enthusiasm of the guests and volunteers lit up UNC’s second annual Joy Prom.

Joy Prom was organized by Pi Kappa Phi and Best Buddies, which works to pair UNC students with people in the community who have intellectual and developmental disabilities.

“These friendships are designed to promote respect and inclusion of these individuals into our society,” Elizabeth Schroeder, the president of UNC’s chapter of Best Buddies, said.

This year’s Joy Prom was significantly larger than the first. Thanks to a new partnership with the Carolina Club and the senior class, the Joy Prom was held in the Alumni Center and around 175 guests and 500 volunteers attended, compared to last year’s 120 guests and 300 volunteers.

Schroeder said Best Buddies had been planning the Joy Prom since early fall 2015.

She said a major reason for the growth of this year’s Joy Prom was awareness.

“I think we have more of an established presence on campus, so people were excited about Joy Prom ... so there was less of a process of telling people what it was,” Schroeder said.

“Most people knew about us when we sent out registration forms and were excited to sign up.”

Guests were greeted at the prom by a red carpet and lots of applause. Volunteers who served as the “paparazzi” lined the entrance, cheered and took pictures.

First-year Anahata Batchu, one of the student paparazzi, said she took pictures of the guests as they came in.

“(I) definitely want to come back next year,” she said. “It was cool to see all the guests and how much fun they were having.”

The guests were then treated to live performances by UNC a cappella groups such as Cadence and the UNC Achordants — plenty of dancing ensued.

Scott Lambeth, a guest at the Joy Prom, said his favorite part of the night was the dancing. He said he particularly enjoyed an a cappella performance of “Problem” by Ariana Grande.

“I’m having loads of fun!” Lambeth said.

Schroeder said the positive impact of the Joy Prom was felt not only by guests such as Lambeth, but also by volunteers.

“It’s the first time (most have) interacted significantly with someone with a disability, so it hopefully changes the way they view people with disabilities and what they’re capable of,” Schroeder said.

“Then they bring that notion and what they’ve learned past tonight — they take it into their classes, they take it into their clubs.”

Schroeder said more students became involved with Best Buddies after last year’s Joy Prom, which she expects to continue again after this year.

“If you maybe didn’t think about inclusion and respect of people with disabilities as a civil rights issue before, it’s much more at the forefront of people’s minds after tonight,” she said.

“Because once you’ve made those personal relationships it’s hard not to think about.”

Schroeder said her favorite part of the night was watching people interact.

“I love seeing the smiles on people’s faces,” she said.

One such smile belonged to Lambeth. He grinned at the idea of coming back to Joy Prom next year.

“I’ll come back as long as they have them,” he said.

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