With the crowning of the 2025 prom queen, Accolade staff reporter Emily Kim conducted a Q&A with senior Amanda Laurie Pascual to share her journey leading up to the title. 

Question: How did it feel when you found out you were voted prom queen?

Answer: I was kind of scared, but it was cool. I feel like it was just random. I didn’t expect it.

Q: What were your first thoughts when they called your name, and how did your friends and family react when you won?

A: I was like, “Really?” And my friends and family were actually really happy for me. A lot of my friends supported it, especially because I was more on the shy side. So I wasn’t really for running and stuff.

Q: Why do you think people voted for you? 

A: No clue. I feel like a couple of people just told other people to vote for me.

Q: Did you campaign, or were you genuinely surprised by the win?

A: I was genuinely surprised because I didn’t campaign.

Q: Was there a lot of excitement or competition this year for prom court? What was the process like for you?

A: I feel like there was a little bit of competition just because some people were campaigning for it. And as for the process, I feel like I didn’t really do much at all. I thought it would be fun if I did win because it’s out of my comfort zone. So I feel like it was cool, but I was scared walking all the way up because it was nerve-racking.

Q: What does being prom queen mean to you personally, not just the title?

A: It makes me feel like people know who I am. Coming from someone in my freshman year, I was really shy. I kept to myself a lot, so it’s kind of cool seeing how people talk to me, and it will make people see who I am.

Q: What message would you give to other students who want to become prom queen?

A: I would tell future prom court girls who would want to be prom queen to not take it too seriously and just be kind to everyone around them throughout the years of high school.

Q: Can you describe your prom dress and how you chose it?

A: My prom dress was very procrastinated. I got it about a week and a half before prom, and I got it off Amazon. It was a burgundy sequin dress.

Q: Did you do anything special to get ready for prom?

A: I hung out or I went to my friend’s house really early, and we made bouquets. The bouquets were fake so we could preserve them, and I could save them for a long time. 

Q: Who was your prom date, and how did you ask/get asked?

A: Mohamad Ibrahim. He asked me at the night show of PCN [Pilipino Culture Night]. After my performance, he came up on stage and asked me with a poster. 

Q: What was your favorite part of the night (besides winning)?

A: Hanging out with my friends after, and just spending my last prom with all my friends.

Q: Did anything unexpected or funny happen during prom?

A: My friends and I were struggling in our heels and barefoot throughout the night.

Q: Did you do anything after prom (like an after-party or late-night food run)?

A: My friends hung out in one of their game rooms in their house. 

Q: Who helped you get ready and support you leading up to prom?

A: My friend group, mainly my parents and cousins.

Q: How do you plan to remember this moment? Are you keeping the crown?

A: I am. Some of my friends like Liv Chavez, who won homecoming queen, and one of my friends in Sonora High School won prom queen, so I’m gonna take pictures with them. But also, my mom had the idea to preserve all my stuff and put it in a case or a big frame and put it in my dress, sash and crown.

Q: Who inspires you the most, and why?

A: I would say my sister, in a way, because she is very loud and outgoing, which is something I always wanted to be.

Q: What’s next for you after graduation?

A: Finding new hobbies, finding myself settling down and having a stable lifestyle. 

Q: If you could give advice to your freshman self, what would you say?

A: I would say join as many activities and extracurriculars as you can, because that’s how you meet new people.

Q: How do you want people to remember your win? What impression do you want to leave behind?

A: Just as nothing too egotistical and something that is fun and out of my comfort zone. I want to leave a positive impression behind, nothing too negative.

Q: How do you think this moment reflects who you’ve been throughout high school?

A: It just shows that I did things without caring what other people thought.

Q: How would you describe your high school journey now that it’s ending on this high note?

A: I would describe it as long. It’s long but short, sweet and bitter.