Everyone has desired being the star for one night. I wished to be one of the celebrities walking on the red carpet in the “Oscars,” modeling their gorgeous dresses and smiling for all the paparazzi. I dreamed for one night to be all about me. I envisioned my black, curly hair tied up in a wavy ponytail with small jewels attached; a beautiful, long, white ball gown dress with purple rhinestones dispersed across the torso and waistline; royal purple gloves that reached the elbow, and silver shoes with rhinestones so shiny that it would look like a disco ball if a light had shun upon it. Luckily, the desire of being a star for one night can become reality.

On October 15th, 2012, my dream came true as I was just minutes away from the start of one of the best nights of my life. The best part about sitting in the back of a limousine taking up an entire seat is looking outside the window and watching every pedestrian’s reaction. Each facial expression made it obvious about what they wondered: “Who might be in the limousine? It cannot be prom because is too early. Could it be newlyweds? A celebrity, perhaps? If it is a celebrity, what is he or she doing in the streets of Downtown Kissimmee?” Little did they know that in the limousine was a regular, unknown, young Puerto Rican who lives in a rented house in Buena Ventura Lakes and was on her way to celebrate every Hispanic girl’s dream: her Quinceañera. My heart started racing when I arrived. From the limo, I watched as every one of my guests entered while pointing at it excitedly. After all the guests settled down, the limo door was opened. My time had come.

In a typical Quinceañera, when a girl transitions from childhood to womanhood, the girl is supposed to have fourteen male and female escorts to represent the fourteen years of her life. However, mine was different. I did not have fourteen escorts of both genders. Instead, I had all the men in my family – uncles, godfathers, cousins, grandfather, and stepfather – and one female escort who was my best friend at the time. While waiting outside, my heart was pounding with excitement. I started to turn red like a tomato, which is quite normal when nervousness kicks in. Suddenly, I felt clumsy and shaky. The excitement filled the air, but I feared that something would go wrong such as my dress ripping, not able to sit down because of how huge the dress was, and the floor being so slippery that I would trip and fall. However, my fear went away as I heard the “Titanic” theme song “My Heart Goes On.” Instantly, I felt confident as if I had the whole place in my hands. Everyone stood up and observed me in awe. I could see my guests’ eyes glitter because of the spotlight, hitting every purple and silver rhinestone from my shoes and dress and reflecting it on their eyes. Their eyes could tell what they were feeling inside: joy, emotion, disbelief, and happiness, the exact reactions I wanted to receive.

In anticipation of these reactions, while I walked towards my designated seat, I held my head up high, smiling from ear to ear. I walked slowly, for everyone to take pictures and have a good look at my dress. I looked at my throne the same way a bride would look at the groom on her wedding day. When I finally sat down, the view suddenly changed. My seat was held high like a princess, perhaps even a queen. I kept my smile during the entire ceremony even when my cheeks started hurting. My grandmother had the honor of reading a small biography, my mother changed the flower crown to tiara and ballet slippers to heels, and I danced with each of the escorts. The thought of my dream coming true appeared surreal. I was the center of attention, the star of the night, and I enjoyed every second of it.