Makayla Littles ‘27 has been an AFS Roo for 3 years now, and in that short time, she has accomplished many things for the class of 2027. She collaborated on planning the neon dance party in her 9th grade year, the sneaker ball in her 10th, and now as a junior, she is part of PromCom, the group planning prom.
“Connections that I’ve made from the events I planned before, like the people who provide photo booths and DJs, things like that make planning prom easier,” said Littles.
Offering some advice to the future prom committee, Littles said, “When planning events, you shouldn’t be doing anything last-minute or waiting till the last minute to promote it. If you can try to be on top of stuff, promoting events early is just better.”
“When it comes to budgeting, it’s best to try to remain under budget. Often when planning stuff, there come surprises, and you don’t know how much money that surprise is gonna cost you. Being under budget and having a vast budget where you can get all of the things that you want and need, because that’s what it’s really all about: getting what you need, while also throwing in what you want, and anything you feel would be a nice little element of surprise,” Littles said.
“At the end of the day what makes prom different is that it’s not just the basics you need, but it expands beyond that, so to make it unique is that little element of surprise.”
When asked about her leadership, Littles started with the journey she went through as a leader. “My leadership style was a little poor in the sense that there were certain things where I felt like I couldn’t delegate it to other people,” Littles said. “I kind of felt like I had to do it all on my own. I am definitely the type to communicate, but when it comes to hard labor, I often feel like I need to do everything by myself. I would say my leadership skills are to communicate with others and envision what they want in prom.”
Littles said, “I would say I’m a good person to lead because growing up, I’ve planned so many other events. I used to plan events for my middle school, my mom, and really my whole family. We like to do a bunch of big events for people; we really enjoy planning stuff. I used to plan my best friend’s parties as well. So with all the prior experience and knowledge of how to get stuff done, as well as the connections I gained from it, make me a good leader, but not just that, my communication. I’m not just going to do stuff behind closed doors, I want to see what others want, you know.”
To motivate her team, Littles said, “Just tell them, at the end of the day, look at all we’ve done. We’ve done so much, and I’m proud of them. I consistently tell them that they’re brilliant and use a lot of uplifting adjectives, because it’s the truth. My team has done so much, put in so much work, I let them know how appreciative I am for their time constantly. This isn’t something they have to do, so a little bit of appreciation keeps people motivated and lets them know what they do matters, and you’re grateful for it.”
“My ultimate vision for prom is for everyone to have fun, no matter who you are, your personality, or any of those traits. I just want everyone to have fun, that is the ultimate goal I would say. The vision is to bring this royal masquerade ball to life. I can’t speak too much on how, as we want to keep it a surprise.”
Avery Stroebele ‘27 has been closely working with Littles, as she is a mini-committee leader.
Stroebele said, “Makayla, being a part of this, as someone who works hard regardless of their busy schedule. When things need to be done, like making posters, Google Forms, etc… she would be on it asap. She is the person that helps us make some hard decisions for the good of Prom Com. Helping keep organized, she communicates well to make sure things are still in good spirits for pre-planned events. Even when things seem messy, she is also a great reassurance. With some ideas, and some may be crazy from others, she keeps them realistic but as close as possible to our ideas, making it a great inclusiveness with others in Prom Com.”
