The Sacramento State campus adult transition program through Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) hosted their annual “Best Buddies Prom” in the University Union last Friday, April 17. Fun hair and makeup, classic cars, beautiful decorations, dance-worthy music and a unified community made the event unforgettable for attendees.

Jamie Hoffman, an Allied Health Science professor, connected with the transition classrooms  through her work and teaching and is one of the reasons the prom takes place.

The transition program is a school-based program through SCUSD for adults who are 18 to 22 years old who have intellectual and developmental disabilities, Hoffman said.

“This program is part of their school day and the prom is an end of school event,” Hoffman said. “We’ve been doing it for years to promote inclusion on campus and give people an opportunity to have fun and hang out. It’s about social skills and having a good time.”

A special detail of the prom was transportation. After finishing touches on hair and makeup, students came out of their classrooms to be escorted to the University Union. They were chauffeured in antique cars by members of the Rotary Club of Sacramento. This was a highlight for Colin Carrera, a second-year student in the transition program.

“Seeing the classic cars is definitely my favorite thing about the prom. Those are really cool,”  Carrera said. “I got to ride in the 1938 Chevrolet so that was really cool.”

Teaching in allied health science, Hoffman and her students have a long relationship with the transition program. She saw the event form in her own classroom and watched it grow, experiencing the impact over time.

Hoffman said recreational therapy is a degree program offered at Sac State that focuses on increasing the quality of life of people with disabilities through purposeful and goal-oriented recreation and leisure. An event like the “Best Buddies Prom” provides transition program students opportunities to connect with the campus and other students.

“The students were responsible for every aspect of this event, and it has evolved over the years,” Hoffman said. “It’s become a really exciting event for multiple classes throughout the Sacramento City Unified School District.”

Hoffman explained that students from the transition classrooms attend weekly recreation therapy classes, where they participate in activities led by other students and faculty.

“We’re able to give our students experience working with individuals with disabilities weekly throughout the semester,” Hoffman said. “Peer support and the typical interactions with other college students, like at the prom, are really important in the developmental process. It supports both of the students’ growth, which is invaluable.”

The Sacramento State transition program invited classrooms throughout the Sacramento City Unified School District to join them for their annual prom Friday, April 17, 2026. Sac State students created decorations, helped with hair and makeup and joined in celebrating. (Photo by Maribel Martinez)

A junior majoring in liberal studies, Jannesa Marquez, was one of the students who helped create and set up decorations. She learned about the program through her “Barrio Art in the Community” class taught by Luis-Genaro Garcia. Barrio art is community-based art, and Garcia’s class helps students learn from and engage with different communities through their classwork.

Marquez said transition students came to their class to learn from and alongside them, and they were later invited to help with prom preparation and decorations.

“The process of coming together as a class to figure out what decorations we could do in the time frame was really fun, and it came out really well,” Marquez said. “We made the hanging stars, and the students created the chainlink papers behind the DJ.”

Sac State student-athletes were also involved in bringing the prom together. They helped with setting up and taking down decorations, joined in dancing and acted as the hair and makeup crew, so everyone was as sparkly as they’d like.

A senior majoring in health science and current president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Jamisen Rasmussen, was one of the student-athletes who helped with glam.

“I got involved with the Best Buddies my sophomore year. I ran into them on campus and introduced myself,” Rasmussen said. “I thought it’d be really great if athletics could get involved with the program.”

Rasmussen was on the Community Engagement and Outreach Committee when she joined SAAC and was disappointed with the level of engagement at that time. She wanted to change that, so when she learned about events with the transition program she made sure SAAC was connected.

“It’s a part of our responsibility in SAAC as leaders on campus to engage with members of campus and beyond. We want to be leaders on and off the fields, water, court and track,” Rasmussen said. “We threw the prom last year and it was one of their biggest events since 2019. I think it’s even bigger this year.”

Students celebrate in the University Union at “Best Buddies Prom” Friday, April 17, 2026. Jamisen Rasmussen and Colin Carrera dance and commemorate the school year coming to an end. (Photo by Maribel Martinez)

Garrison Oliver-Jones, the student-athlete development coordinator and SAAC advisor, is constantly encouraging student-athletes to be connected to the community and finding them avenues to do so.

“Each one of the student-athletes in SAAC has that intangible characteristic to want to create a positive change. SAAC wants to bridge the gap between athletics and the rest of the student population to strengthen the community,” Oliver-Jones said. “Working with this group means just as much to the student-athletes as it does to the students we’re here to support.”

Students and the community can get more involved through Allied Health Science, the Disability Access Center, the Sacramento City Unified School District and the transition classrooms on campus.