Salem Statesman Journal
November 13, 2019
Bill Poehler
For many high school girls, going to their first prom can be a scary proposition.
Mikayla Wood knew few people when she went to her first prom as a freshman and wasn't sure what to expect.
She enjoyed the experience and has at subsequent proms, but she noticed what she describes as an unusually small percentage of girls at the event.
When Wood asked other girls why they haven’t gone to proms, she received reasons such as they couldn’t afford a formal dress or they didn’t know how to get one.
“And I thought, 'Why not help girls go to prom and provide them a dress,' ” said Wood, a senior from Scio who attends Oregon Connections Academy. “I just really want to have an impact and hopefully see more girls getting to have that special moment that they deserve.”
Wood put her experience to use in creating the BeYOUtiful Prom Dress Giveaway 2020, an event where any girl with a high school ID will receive a formal dress for free April 4, 2020 at the Event Center at the West Salem Roth’s Fresh Market.
Wood said she has learned from her time competing in pageants that finding a dress is often the key component in helping a young girl feel confident.
“Got to look good and feel good,” said Kara Richards, owner of The Shabby Chic Bride consignment shop in Salem, one of several businesses supporting Wood’s cause. “It’s more of a feeling, especially girls, we have an emotional tie to these things.”
From being judged to being judged
Wood said she was bullied while attending Scio Middle School, which was why she enrolled in an online school.
She felt judged by other students for the clothes she wore and how she carried herself.
But when she competes in pageants – such as the Miss Teen International last year – she makes the conscious decision to be judged.
“I’m literally giving them 100 percent control and flat out saying, 'Judge me, go for it,'” Wood said. “And actually having the confidence now to go out on stage and do that and be a role model for younger girls I prove that they don’t have to be held back by what everyone says that they can’t do.”
In her time in student government at Oregon Connections Academy – she is now the student body president – she has made strides to include others.
“When we have events for student government, she’s very social,” said Nikki Coleman, the high school elective teacher and student government adviser for ORCA. "She’s always wanting to make people feel comfortable and not left out. I think it just comes from a place of being left out.”
Though Wood competes in pageants, she said choosing a formal dress isn’t a task she enjoys.
But she also realizes she can use her knowledge in that area – and her energy – to eliminate that obstacle for other girls.
“Especially at this event, she’s an up and coming example of a woman of giving back and doing more than just a pageant and it’s more than just that. I love that,” Richards said.
Collecting 62 dresses in a month
Wood first brought the idea to Coleman with the idea of it being an event for students at Oregon Connections Academy – an online public charter school headquartered in Mill City – but she quickly realized she could have a larger impact.
“She didn’t want there to be any limitations,” Coleman said. “That’s when she decided to make it for everybody.”
Less than a month after coming up with the idea for the dress giveaway, Wood already had collected 62.
She’s networked and made dozens of trips to people’s houses and businesses to collect dresses, and her family’s guest bedroom is packed with them.
In many cases, she’s found women had formal dresses sitting in their closets or attics that they want to give new life to.
“I’ve just had a lot of willingness to really want it to be used and not just sitting around,” Wood said.
She has arranged for drop-off locations including Chasing Fireflies Salon in Stayton and The Beautiful Bride and Burlap & Lace in Corvallis.
She said she will be accepting donations up to the week before the April event. To donate a dress, contact Wood at beyoutifuldressgiveaway2020@gmail.com.
Along with racks of dresses, there will be pop-up dressing rooms for girls to try on the dresses, tables of accessories and a seamstress on hand to help alter dresses at the April 4 event.
She’s planning a follow-up hair and makeup day on May 2 at Divine Complexions in Wilsonville with volunteers who want to donate their time and services.
Wood has seen the myriad hurdles girls like her can face, but she is trying to make things better for others.
“I feel like girls should be able to have their special night and just feel good in what their wearing and be confident," Wood said. "That’s where their confidence is really going to come from and I want to help them reach that.”