Going to prom in high school is something that a lot of people never forget about doing.
It’s one of those experiences that you grow up seeing in movies, so when it’s finally your turn to go, it can be exciting.
However, prom night isn’t necessarily a positive experience for everyone.
It can be hard to find a date and not everyone ends up going.
So when one teenage girl from Eastern Idaho decided that she wanted to make prom night something to remember for a fellow student, she went above and beyond.
Her name is Shiane Ritchie and she is 15-years-old.
Shiane has been working with kids with autism since she was only 8-years-old.
When she heard about an event called “Special Needs Prom,” she decided that she wanted to make it really special for a certain student with autism.
His name is Ian Taow Benjamin and he is a 15-year-old student from Bonneville High School.
Shiane called Ian’s parents to ask them if she could take him to prom, and was also curious what types of things that he liked.
His parents were thrilled when Shiane offered to take him and told her that Ian loves Star Wars.
Shiane loves Star Wars too, so she came up with an awesome way to ask Ian to prom.
She started by coming over to his house while he was away and decorating his room with Star Wars things.
Rachel Taow Benjamin, Ian’s mom, told reporters:
“She came to decorate his room with posters and a T-shirt and a Darth Vader cake that said, ‘The Force has a big surprise for you.'”
But this was just to get Ian excited for the biggest surprise yet.
Rachel went on to say,
“(A few days later) she showed up to our house dressed as a Storm Trooper – like in a legit costume.”
It was awesome.
She was holding a sign for Ian and asked if he’d go to prom with her. It said:
“Ian you’d be a trooper if you’d go to prom with me??”
Of course, Ian said yes and the two of them had a great time.
However, the story doesn’t end there.
In order to thank Shiane, East Idaho News and Ashley Home Furniture decided to surprise her during one of her classes at school.
Shiane’s mother, Ian, and Ian’s parents drove to her school and walked into her Spanish class with a video camera and a news reporter.
They called Shiane up in front of the class and told everyone what she had done for Ian.
The reporter thanked her and offered her gifts and flowers.
Ian seemed excited to give Shiane the gifts as well as publically thank her for making his prom night something to remember.
When asked why she did it, Shiane said,
“Autistic people are just so caring and they don’t get treated very well. I thought it would be nice to take him and I’m so glad I did.”
Check out the video below to see this heartwarming story unfold and be sure to share it with a friend!
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