San Antonio High School Student Triples Goal of Collecting 100 Prom and Graduation Dresses

In the heart of San Antonio, a high school student told Southern Living she’s thanking her community when she gives back.

Earlier this month, Incarnate Word High School student Sofia Medrano helped put together a one-day free boutique with over 300 dresses, as well as shoes and accessories, for students at Lanier High School. To collect the items, Medrano and her family used social media and word of mouth to connect with alumni, family friends, and others.

By the end of the day, Medrano's boutique had given away over 100 dresses.

Medrano said she was inspired by her cousin, who works for Edgewood School District and hosted a similar boutique there.  

“Our community does so much for us and has done so many great things, so in a way this is like giving back to them and thanking them,” Medrano said.

During the boutique, other high school students served as personal shoppers, holding visitors’ items and directing them to fitting rooms. Visitors could also participate in a raffle to win a free photoshoot and free hair and makeup.

Medrano and others involved in the boutique also navigated behind-the-scenes logistics and challenges: Some of the dresses required dry cleaning or steaming, and all 300 needed to be transported to the room at Lanier.

“I can't take all the credit — everyone who donated a dress, who helped take dresses downstairs. It was a team effort,” Medrano said.

Though the boutique was aimed at high school students seeking dresses for prom and graduation, others could also enjoy the boutique’s offerings.

“As soon as we started setting up, there's a custodian who came by and she was like, ‘Oh, can I try on a dress? I'm going to the military ball.’ And she tried it on and she looked beautiful,” Medrano said.

She couldn’t be happier with the boutique’s turnout and community impact, she said.

“It couldn't have gone better. It was so amazing seeing all these smiles,” Medrano said.

Medrano said she would love to host the boutique again in subsequent years, possibly expanding their selection to include men’s formal wear or put on boutiques at more than one high school.

“If you have a dream, you can make it come true,” Medrano said. “It's gonna take a lot of work, but if it's going to be an amazing project.”