High school senior taking 92-year-old great-grandma to prom brings many to tears

Many high school students look forward to attending prom—a night where they can dress up and dance the night away with a romantic partner or friend.

But for a Watford City High School senior named Dakota Wollan, going to prom was the last thing on his mind. Although there were girls in his class that he could ask, there was no one he really wanted to, so he planned to skip it.

Dakota told his dad, and he suggested an idea—what if he invited his 92-year-old great-grandmother instead?

Madeline Miller never got to attend prom when she was in high school. She actually dropped out after a year-and-a-half to help her family when her dad got sick.

The grandma said she doesn’t remember if the school even held proms during her time.

Madeline was the second-oldest of 14 brothers and sisters and was far too busy holding down her homefront that she couldn’t have attended prom even if there were.

Dakota took his dad’s suggestion and ran with it, quickly coming up with a plan for his “promposal.”

“I have this old truck she gave me, it’s a 1985 Ford she handed down to me and I got it running again. So, I took that truck and made a sign,” he said.

The sign read: “Can I take you to prom in this old truck?”

Dakota felt “pretty nervous” when he asked his great-grandma, while Madeline was a bit perplexed when he showed up with the sign. But she happily agreed anyway.

“I had never been to prom before,” she said. “I was just wondering why he would want a 92-year-old going to prom with him when there are so many young girls in the school.”

It’s a good thing that Madeline said yes because Dakota would have sat the entire thing out if she didn’t.

The grandma hadn’t danced in 40 years, and this was her chance to sway to the music once more.

“[S]o thanks to her I got to make a memory for my last prom and her first prom,” the teen said.

The couple was in the spotlight during the night. When they walked in, Dakota said everyone “just went wild.”

The sight of them dancing “brought tears to many people’s eyes.”

The pair danced the first dance together, then Dakota brought his great-grandmother home.

“Walking beside my great-grandson, listening to this music as we walked and people clapping and hollering,” Madeline said of her favorite parts of the night.

The entire experience had been surreal for Madeline, who said she felt like the “belle of the ball.” After all, who would have thought that she’d be able to experience her first prom at her age, and with her great-grandson to boot?

“I couldn’t believe I was out there,” she said.

Dancing together during a once-in-a-lifetime event is a sweet memory that this grandson and great-grandmother will cherish forever. Although it was an unconventional pairing, the duo surely had a great time!

Click on the video below from NBC News to learn more about this story.

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