Student Spotlight: Arelly Gutierrez

Since she was a little girl, sophomore Arelly Gutierrez would dream about having a big party for her quince, to feel like a princess. She said, “when I was little I would always dress up in like a dress and imagine that was my quinceñera.”

The name Arelly means “Shines in gold.” After Gutierrez learned that, she immediately knew she wanted her dress to be gold. She said, “I felt like it would express who I was.” And after going to 10 dress stores she ended up going back to the first store and picking her final quince dress.

“It’s like a dream come true, because not a lot of people get to have that special day happen for them,” she said. “It also means entering a new chapter in your life that you get to learn new experiences and know yourself more.”

It was important for her to have this day because to her it was like a blessing, especially being able to have the opportunity of celebrating this special day with your family and the ones you love.

Quinceñeras take upwards of a year to prepare for, from reserving the venue to having the celebration. Dances are an important part of a quince. Gutierrez said her dances took 4 months to learn. She was lucky that her dad was her choreographer, but that was the most stressful part for her because that meant that she needed to be perfect.

Gutierrez knew this would be a night to remember, and it truly was. If it wasn’t the music or all the dancing, it was because she experienced it with her family and friends.