In the weeks leading up to Milan High School's prom, Irma Bahena has been talking about nothing else.
Her daughter, Jennifer, was attending with a longtime neighbor and friend.
Irma Bahena is a waitress at Taqueria Mi Tierra, a Mexican restaurant in Milan. She moved to the United States 35 years ago, following the path of her husband.
Irma Bahena has two sons in addition to her daughter, who goes by Jenny. Irma realized how challenging living in a place with a different culture can become when Jenny was born with Down syndrome.
Bahena and her family found support through the community.
Dominic Dabney, a longtime neighbor, and Jenny became close friends during Jenny’s freshman year and Dominic’s sophomore year in high school. Dominic Dabney promised to return from college to be Jenny's date to the prom.
"He was her protector," said Dominic’s mother Andrea Dabney. Dominic credits Jenny for instilling confidence for him to learn Spanish and pursue a career in special education.
Irma Bahena was excited to see her daughter go to prom, but the moment was bittersweet, as her husband and Jenny's father, Fernando Bahena Osorio, died from complications of COVID-19 last year.
Bahena turned to her faith in God and the community in her church after her family's loss. She said going to church, praying and being around more people has helped her going through the worst moments of the last year.
Most of the Hispanic community of Milan is connected in some way to St. Mary Catholic Church. For many of them, it was the first contact they had with their newfound friends. Others say it offered the help they needed in their worst moments.
The church helped Bahena connect with the rest of the community. Those connections helped Bahena find a new job in December.
The manager of Taqueria Mi Tierra suggested she join the team. Bahena was hesitant at first but ended up taking the position for extra income. On her days off, she follows her passion — cooking. She has perfected some of her best dishes, and now she sells them to Milan residents. This allows her to spend more time with her daughter.
In the weeks before prom, Irma Bahena was focused on Jenny's prom experience.
When Jenny got her nails done, she went directly to her father’s picture. She showed him how beautiful they were.
Less than a week before finals, Dominic Dabney returned home from Truman State to fulfill his good friend's wish and take her to prom.
“I really see Jenny and her family as mine, and I think I would do anything for them,” Dominic Dabney said.
Jenny Bahena is helped out of a car by her prom date, Dominic Dabney, on the way to the Grand March of their prom at Milan High School. The Grand March is a brief parade of prom guests for community members.
Andrea Dabney helps pin her son Dominic’s boutonniere as Jenny Bahena laughs at her home in Milan. Andrea Dabney, who works as a teacher at the high school, said that Jenny would ask about Dominic almost every day since he has been away for college.
Irma Bahena holds her daughter, Jenny, as she wipes her mother’s tears in their home in Milan. Irma Bahena became emotional when thinking of her husband and Jenny’s father, who died from complications of COVID-19 over a year ago. She said she wished that he was there to see Jenny go to prom.
Irma Bahena and her daughter, Jenny, wait outside St. Mary Catholic Church to take prom photos in Milan. They weren’t able to take photos inside the church as there was a rosary service.
Jenny Bahena and her classmates line up to take photos at Milan High School. The town is one of the most diverse communities in the state.
Dominic Dabney asks his prom date, Jenny, if she’s comfortable at Milan High School in Milan. Dabney said that Jenny instilled confidence for him to learn Spanish and to pursue a career in special education.
Jenny Bahena and Dominic Dabney pose for a selfie as Irma Bahena laughs at Milan High School. More than 30 couples attended the Grand March.
Jenny Bahena looks toward her family members after the prom royalty is announced at the end of the Grand March at Milan High School. The march, which is usually in the town square, was moved to the high school because of the weather.
Jenny Bahena and Dominic Dabney march in the Grand March in Milan. “I really see Jenny and her family as mine, and I think I would do anything for them,” Dabney said.
