At The Westwood School, senior Reeyan Mistry breaks prom tradition by taking his grandmothers, honoring them for their pivotal role in his upbringing.
ADDISON, Texas — The senior prom is a lot more than just a dance. As senior Reeyan Mistry puts it, it marks “the last event you are going to be at with these people.”
At The Westwood School, a small private school in Addison, prom night carries extra weight. With just 17 seniors in the graduating class—12 girls and 5 boys—social dynamics are hard to ignore. Head of School Heather Lourcey jokes that the girls “run things.”
For Reeyan, prom should have been a straightforward decision. Instead, it became something more personal. He describes it as an emotional choice, shaped by people who have been part of his life far longer than the event itself.
“Taking the people I wanna take is going to be a little more emotional,” said Reeyan.
That story begins years earlier, with a promise he made as a child to his family—that he would one day take them to prom. His mother remembers it as a simple, repeated assurance he gave without fully understanding what it would eventually mean.
“He would tell them, ‘I’ll take you to prom. Don’t worry about it. I’ll take you to prom,” said Reeyan’s mom, Trisha Mistry.
Years later, he followed through. Reeyan decided to take his two grandmothers to prom.
The women, known in the family as Ba and Ma, helped raise his parents and played a major role in Reeyan’s upbringing.
“He’s not only raised by me, he’s raised by a village. The days I couldn’t watch them, [his grandmas] were there,” said Trisha.
For both grandmothers, it is their first prom. Reeyan’s grandmothers are from South Africa and India. Not everyone would think to bring their grandmothers to a high school prom. Reeyan acknowledges that openly, but says the choice is simple for him.
“If I get grief, I get grief. I’m having fun with my grandmas. This is my way of expressing my gratitude for everything my grandmas did for me,” he said.
“It’s great that somebody thinks that way. We definitely could use more Reeyans,” said Lourcey.
There is something both refreshing and bold about the senior’s decision.
In the end, it reflects something larger about growing up—the kinds of decisions that define who you are, and what they mean to you.