In the heart of Brooklyn, two dedicated leaders have spent fourteen years weaving a tapestry of community support through the BKLYN Prom Project. Chapter Directors Dawn Simon and Dr. Shaniqua Schloss have transformed a simple idea into a local institution, recently reaching a historic milestone by turning the Barclays Center into a sanctuary of style for over 1,000 students across New York City. Through a strategic partnership with Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, the duo provided dresses and tuxedos to seniors, ensuring that financial barriers do not stand in the way of a quintessential high school milestone.
The project operates as a proud member of the Operation Prom National Network, Inc., a connection that helped spark the initial collaboration between Simon and Dr. Schloss. Despite being strangers when they first discovered the parent organization, they shared a conviction that Brooklyn needed its own dedicated chapter. “I just remember being in my office one day, scrolling through the internet, and I saw an organization pop up about doing prom wear,” Simon recalls. “I said, you know, this sounds like a great concept. It’s making a lot of the students happy. But I just think that it could use more work. And this is something that I feel like I can enhance.”
Simon, who never attended her own prom, finds deep fulfillment in the joy of the students she serves. “I am living vicariously through this organization and all of the students that we touch and we serve,” she says. Dr. Schloss draws from her own memories of 2006, when she worked a job to afford a 120 dollar custom green dress. She recalls the moment she stepped out of her apartment building in Crown Heights to find her family waiting to see her off. “The moment everything was put together, so my makeup was done, my nails got done, my hair was done, and I put on that little green dress, and all my family was outside my apartment building. I was walking out to the limo, and everyone’s like, ‘Oh my God.’ I was just like, ‘Oh, I’m that girl.'”
She now strives to ensure every student feels that same level of confidence, noting that the volunteers and stylists “make sure that they leave there feeling and knowing that they are that girl and guy because we just pour into them so much.” What began in the halls of the Urban Assembly Institute for Math and Science for Young Women has grown through a concerted effort to embed the organization in the community. “Our partners are growing. Our venue at the Barclays Center, I mean, this is beyond our wildest dreams,” Simon explains. “It just makes our heart smile.”
The directors have also prioritized inclusivity by expanding their menswear offerings, as Simon notes that young men often “feel like the men are a forgotten breed when it comes to prom.” Partnerships with retailers like Porta Bella now provide stylish options for them. “I would say for the young men what I’ve noticed is it’s not black tuxedos and suits anymore,” Dr. Schloss adds. “They like the pop of color and want to stand out.”
The true weight of the organization is found in the personal stories that emerge each year. The directors have gone to great lengths to support their students, from finding designers for plus-size attendees to personally purchasing suits for young men in temporary housing. “There’s just so many tender moments at our giveaways, so many tender moments,” Simon says. “Some that we see and know, and some that we’re not even aware of, but we do know that we get letters sometimes or emails just saying how wonderful the event is, how impactful it was, how much it touched people. More than anything, the smiles. You will see so many smiles.” As the 2026 season continues, the legacy of the BKLYN Prom Project has become a full circle of giving, ensuring every student has the opportunity to step out in confidence and feel that the community is standing right behind them.