Masquerade Ball at Centennial High School, Howard County

J’Pia Isbell, 19, of Ellicott City, never had a chance to attend her senior prom.

Graduating from Centennial High School in Ellicott City in 2020, her prom was canceled due to the pandemic.

“When I found out that I wouldn’t be getting a prom, I was a little bummed because I had made [my dress] with my own hands,” she said. “When they told us that all we were doing was taking pictures, I was a little sad.”

Now a second-year student studying education at Howard Community College in Columbia, she finally had the chance to attend her high school’s prom, which was held April 23 at The Hotel at Arundel Preserve in Hanover.

Invited by a friend at the high school, she dressed in a light blue mermaid-style dress, which she said she altered specifically to fit the event’s masquerade ball theme.

Isbell said it meant a lot to her to be able to attend prom with her friends.

“[My friend] knew I was bummed when I didn’t get to go [to prom] as a senior, so knowing that she wanted me to go with her so that I could have a prom, it felt nice,” she said.