Amid prom season, the Binghamton University Saqqara Chapter of Mu Sigma Upsilon sorority hosted a community service project called Project Prom at Johnson City High School.

Project Prom gave Johnson City High School students the opportunity to “shop” for prom attire and accessories for free. The pop-up shop, hosted on April 17, featured racks of dresses, suits and pants for students to browse. Other tables provided shoes, ties, pocket squares, jewelry and other accessories.

The Saqqara Chapter planned for months and fundraised over $800 for Project Prom. It collaborated with nine on-campus organizations — Omega Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc., Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., Lambda Alpha Upsilon Fraternity, Inc., Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha, Inc., Mexican American Student Association, Latin American Student Union, Juvenile Urban Multicultural Program and Corazoncitos — for the fundraising. With the money raised, they were able to purchase over 200 items from local businesses for the pop-up shop.

The sorority received donations from two drop-off boxes on campus, which were placed near the Fraternity and Sorority Life Office and Multicultural Resource Center. Businesses such as Ulta Beauty and Steve Madden also donated items to Project Prom.

The Saqqara Chapter’s secretary, Kaylin Camacho, a junior majoring in psychology, explained that the fundraiser began with an idea from their founder, Shirley Ventura ‘24.

“We recognized that the local Binghamton community is composed of a population of low socioeconomic status and the increasing price of prom attire,” Camacho wrote in an email to Pipe Dream. “With groceries and other household staples also becoming more and more expensive, prom attire is the last thing on a lot of families’ minds, yet such an exciting time for high school students.”

Mu Sigma Upsilon, Inc., was established in 1981 and was the first multicultural sorority in the nation. The Saqqara Chapter at BU was founded in 2023. Their three main goals, as stated by Camacho, are ”Academic Excellence, Unity Amongst all Women, and To be Active in the University and Community.”

Camacho explained that some college students may not have been able to attend prom and expressed that they wanted to give that opportunity to others.

“Many college students did not attend prom, either because of the cost of attire or other circumstances that did not permit attendance, such as the pandemic,” Camacho wrote. “We wanted to give local high school students something that we may not have had.”

According to YPulse News, the price of a prom ticket in 2026 has increased 128 percent since 2000. The cost of hair and nails also increased 110 percent over the same period.

The Saqqara Chapter hoped this event would allow students to attend prom wearing items they love for a lower cost.

“Our goal with this event was to alleviate the financial burdens of prom season for as many students as possible with choices that they loved and weren’t just settling for,” Camacho wrote. “We surpassed our expectations as we were able to gather a surplus of items for the event. It was heartwarming to see students light up with joy as they picked out their prom essentials conveniently in their own school building that was transformed into a pop-up shop experience free of cost.”