A red carpet rolled across the floor. A limo circling campus. Music echoing through the ballroom.
This was scene on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, at the St. Ambrose Rogalski Center, as students, families, and community members gathered to celebrate more than 100 honored guests.
Night to Shine – a worldwide prom experience for teens and adults with disabilities – returned to campus for its second year as a host site, bringing together students and the Quad Cities community for a night centered on celebration and inclusion.
For St. Ambrose senior Kaylen Abrahamsen ‘26, the night represents far more than a campus event.
“It’s a night to show the guests that they’re kings and queens,” Abrahamsen said. “We’re making sure that they feel honored and that they can shine for this night.”
From volunteer to co-lead
Abrahamsen, a human performance and fitness major, first volunteered for Night to Shine during her first year at St. Ambrose after her soccer coach encouraged the team to sign up.
“I read about Night to Shine, and I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I’m signing up for sure,’” she said.
She returned the following year. And the year after that.
What began as volunteering as a buddy, paired one-on-one with an honored guest, grew into something deeper. By her junior year, Abrahamsen stepped into a co-lead role, helping organize registration, volunteer recruitment, and campus trainings.
“It’s kind of like being their date, because it is a prom night,” she said of the buddy system. “Be their voice, be their advocate – whatever they want to do.”
This year, she chose not to serve as a buddy so she could remain available to assist students and guests throughout the night.
“If someone’s getting overstimulated, just being around the crowd, I understand them,” she said. “I just want to be available for the guests.”
Planning for the event begins months in advance, often shortly after the previous year’s celebration ends. Committees identify accessibility needs and create volunteer roles. More than 500 volunteers were involved this year, with a significant portion coming from the Ambrose community.
“There’s just so many different things that we have to make sure we can adapt to create the most inclusive area we can,” Abrahamsen said.
A full prom experience
Night to Shine, sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation, is hosted worldwide the Friday before Valentine’s Day. The evening includes a red carpet entrance, dinner, dancing, karaoke, limo rides, a sensory room, and, at the end of the night, the crowning of every guest as prom king or queen.
“It’s not just dinner and dance,” Abrahamsen said.
Alumna Anna Verry ’25 remembers her first Night to Shine experience as a first-year student, when she volunteered alongside friends at an off-campus location.
“We had a great time,” Verry said. “The first event, there was a lot of people.”
She returned the following year and later stepped into a student planning role. Verry described her passion for the event as something deeply personal.
“At the root of it, it’s just because we’re service-oriented people,” Verry said. “It’s not much of a task that we have to complete, but more of a purpose that we’re fulfilling.”
Living out the mission
Hosting Night to Shine on campus has strengthened connections between St. Ambrose students and the broader community, Abrahamsen said. Many honored guests now return to campus for other events throughout the year.
“They feel so comfortable,” she said. “It’s like their second home.”
For Abrahamsen, the event reflects the university’s Catholic identity and values in action.
“We amplify every single value,” she said. “Mercy, courage, justice, wisdom, service – every single value is being touched on.”
She described the night as an opportunity to be an advocate and to live out faith beyond the classroom. It’s a real chance to meet other people and learn more firsthand about the world.
“It doesn’t just start at 6 p.m. and end at 9 p.m.,” she said. “It’s just something that you’ve got to take with you.”
The experience has also shaped her own future plans. After graduating this spring, Abrahamsen intends to pursue a master’s degree in disability studies and work in special education.
“My whole perspective on everything has changed,” she said. “I could have the worst day ever, and the guests just bring the biggest smile on my face.”
For students who may feel unsure about volunteering for Night to Shine, Abrahamsen offers simple advice.
“I would say, show up,” she said. “You will be loved. You will be smiling the whole way through. All the butterflies will go away once you meet one of our honorary guests.”
For one night each February, the Rogalski ballroom becomes more than an event space. It becomes a place where faith, service, and celebration meet – and where every guest leaves crowned.
