Twenty-one African American girls across the greater Los Angeles area gathered together Nov. 28 in poofy white dresses, pearl necklaces and long gloves, presenting themselves to society as debutantes. This picturesque ball was not out of a Disney movie, it was a cotillion.
Over Thanksgiving break, seniors Kennedy Chow and Sydney Curry participated in the 72nd annual Cotillion Debutante Ball hosted by the Los Angeles chapter of The Links Inc. at the Beverly Hilton. The purpose of The Links is to provide “educational cultural and civic support to communities.” The cotillion had over 200 individuals in attendance, and the event featured musical performances and a three-course meal at the end of the ceremony.
Curry and Chow both said they were both previously involved in The Links by attending past debutante balls, and former cotillion participants encouraged them to participate in the ball once they became of age.
“I had a former head of school who told me to do it,” Curry said, “As well as my boss, [from] my internship over the summer, was a former ‘cotillionet,’ so she encouraged me to do it.”
When reflecting on what inspired her to pursue this opportunity, Chow said her family has always valued cotillions.
“The cotillion is something that my mom has always talked about,” Chow said. “I’ve always just remembered [it] being a big thing growing up.”
The process of becoming a debutante began early last summer and continued into the fall. However, Chow and Curry said they had been talking about the event ever since they first found out they would be a part of it. The two had to partake in meetings once a month, where they would learn life skills such as financial literacy, community service and college essay writing and had the opportunity to win awards that included college scholarships.
Fitness teacher Dani LeNoir taught and mentored both Chow and Curry for over five years said she has a close relationship with them.
“The two of them would often come up to my office and tell me all about their practices [and] their rehearsals,” LeNoir said. “You can absolutely see the amount of work that they put into getting it just right for their big day.”
Chow and Curry dedicated hours of their time to practice and meet the requirements of the Links debutante program, while balancing college applications and other commitments that come along with the first semester of senior year. Curry said she had to build in time for homework and tests whilst also networking and attending weekly meetings to prepare for the cotillion.
“June to November, for us seniors, is college prep time,” Curry said, “Knowing how to manage your schedule is something that was hard, but it also gave you another skill of time management and knowing how to balance multiple major things at once.”
However, Curry and Chow both said the immense feeling of community that came with participating in the debutante ball strongly triumphed over the stress it brought.
“When you step out and you’re being presented, I think that’s something that brought me immense comfort,” Chow said. “Knowing that people who maybe won’t be able to see me, or people who won’t get to see me in a white wedding dress, will at least be able to see me in my cotillion dress being presented.”
The lessons the two learned throughout this once in a lifetime experience will take with them throughout their time in high school and beyond, especially as they navigate the end of their journey at Archer.
“I feel like we left with our own community and family,” Chow said,“like a sisterhood of black women.”