On May 8th, 2026 the Be Yourself Club hosted their fashion show, with a goal of welcoming everyone and making all students feel included. “I hope that students can feel safe to be themselves [and] whatever that means to them,” Club Advisor Jaquelyn Gallardo said. “We are a club that helps focus on LGBTQ+ students.”

This was not the first time the club put on a fashion show. Prior to Covid, it was an annual event.

Coming back this year was a challenge, but with the help of the new president, Cristobal Ramirez, they were able to pull it off. “He stepped up as soon as he became president. I supported him,” Gallardo said. “He had some help from the officers but he pretty much did everything.” Ramirez thought the show went amazing and was happy with the amount of people that participated after having received so much positive input from the school and felt encouraged to put on the fashion show to help students feel comfortable enough to express themselves. “This show was a way to help students express themselves without being judged and feel liberated from their fear of being judged by others,” Ramirez said.

The show took place in the Amphitheater during lunch.  There were speakers, performances from a student band, and a fashion show. They had 8 performers -: Hazelynn Frei, Lorenzo Ortiz, Oscar Flores, Eric Guillen, Rebekah Gomez, Emily Ramirez, Roselynde Dixon, and Gallardo. Dixon has mixed signals about volunteering because she doesn’t like being the center of attention. “I thought if I can’t be brave then how can I ask students to be brave,” Dixon said.

The openers were a band of students – Jaden Cerna, Roman Rodriguez and Kevin Andrade.
Playing at school felt like a dream to Cerna; he never thought he’d be able to do something like this. “Thinking back to freshman year and how shy I was, it’s crazy to think I was able to go up there and do something I love,” Cerna said.

Finding participants was difficult due to AP testing and making announcements and spreading the word was a difficult task.

However, Gallardo didn’t let that stop her. With the help from the club, they made flyers, and they even started walking around the halls asking students if they would like to participate. “We were kind of all over the place, but we made it happen,” Gallardo said. “I think what matters is that we made it happen, so that way, every year it gets better, hopefully.”

Dixon, who is one of the club advisors, wanted the focus to be on the students, but knew she couldn’t sit on the sidelines. “I thought, ‘If I can’t be brave, then how can I ask students to be brave?’” Dixon said. “I have to be a role model.”

Dixon entered the stage wearing a colorful sequined outfit with 6 inch platform heels, while holding a pride flag.

She was nervous at first but as soon as she was up there it all went away. “That confidence and the boldness to know that people are going to be turning heads looking my way,” Dixon said. “Being brave enough to just continue my day normally.”

This year’s winner was Hazelynn Freia, who wants to become a future fashion designer. She thought this opportunity would benefit her later in life. “As a future fashion designer, that was one of the reasons why I wanted to participate. It would look really good on my resume,” Freia said. “And look really good for future job opportunities to have.”

Her outfit was inspired by the song “Baby T” by Glanchi. She named her outfit Namtan, meaning sugar and thai, matching the vibe of the song she chose for her walkout.
With the help of her sibling, she was able to bring her outfit together. “ Honestly my siblings had to help me because I had no clue but it was fun. I had a blast,” Freia said.

She doesn’t have someone that influences her style. She influences her own style and wears what she wants and feels confident in. “I influenced my own style because over time, I got judged for it,which is fine everyone goes through that,” Freia said.

The show’s message was about empowerment and taking chances. Expressing yourself can be scary at first, but it’s worth it. “I recommend it because it doesn’t matter who you are or how you dress, just be yourself,” Ortiz said.