Considering she's been home schooled the last couple of years, deciding to spend her senior year at Douglas High School was a big step for 17-year-old Emma Chambers.
Another big step was sitting in Drago Salon in Minden on Friday afternoon, getting her hair done for the high school prom later that night at Edgewood.
"I'm a little nervous, but excited as well," Emma said while stylist Jen Barrett warmed a curling iron beside her.
Emma said she was planning to wear a short red dress to match the strong red hue of her freshly painted finger nails. She wasn't sure what to expect, but was looking forward to dancing.
"My boyfriend is out of state, so I'm going with some of my girlfriends," she said.
Mother Stacy Chambers, a deputy with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, peeked in on her daughter's fancy do. Having never been to prom herself, she said she was proud of her daughter growing up.
"I'm happy she's going," she said. "She's been the joy of my life."
As for her hair, Emma said, "I'm going really big and curly-like."
On the other side of the salon, junior Shaelby Bell, 16, was also preparing for her first prom.
"I'm super excited. I think it will be a lot of fun," Shaelby said. "Just the whole experience."
Like Emma, Shaelby said she'd be going with her friends.
"We're going out to dinner first," she said. "I'm not really that nervous."
Shaelby said she'd be wearing a medium-length, black-and-grey dress. In regards to her hair, she and stylist Stephanie Jacobsen said they were going for a "loose do."
"It's partially up, partially down," Shaelby explained. "I'm just going for it."
"Hair is important," Jacobsen added. "I love doing it. It makes the girls feel so good."
Blushing at her own image in the mirror, Shaelby said no, there was no specific boy she had her eye on.
Drago Dimitri, who opened the salon 26 years ago, said that prom is always a fun day for his stylists.
"Steph loves proms. She loves working with the girls' hair and making them feel glamorous," he said. "It's an exciting day in the salon because it's a little different. With special occasion hair, the stylists can get creative."
