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John Jay Science and Engineering Academy student designs prom dress out of duct tape

Nina De La Torre enters dress in scholarship contest

SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio high school student has created a one-of-a-kind prom dress in hopes of winning a college scholarship. 

Nina De La Torre, 17, designed her dress and accessories with duct tape. 

"I actually started looking at Indian dresses, and that's how I came up with a design for these flowers on the skirt," De La Torre said. 

De La Torre said her other inspiration was her heritage. 

"It represents my Jalisco background," she said. 

De La Torre designed the dress for the Stuck at Prom Scholarship Contest, which she didn't take too seriously at first. 

"I showed my mom as a joke, completely as a joke, and she was like, 'Well, when are you starting,' and I was like, 'OK,'" De La Torre said. 

She spent 60 hours working on this project and used 14 rolls of duct tape. 

"It's graded on five different parts, which is the use of product brand duct tape, workmanship, creativity, music, colors and accessories," De La Torre said. 

De La Torre hopes her design gets her the grand prize of $10,000.

"I'd put it right towards my school, and it covers half of the tuition I have left, which would help immensely," she said. 

De La Torre graduated from John Jay Science and Engineering Academy and plans to attend the University of Texas at San Antonio.


About the Authors
Tiffany Huertas headshot

Tiffany Huertas is a reporter for KSAT 12 known for her in-depth storytelling and her involvement with the community.

Jason Foster headshot

Jason Foster is News Operations Manager at KSAT. He's worked in the news industry in Texas for more than 15 years, including as an executive producer and a photojournalist. He's been at KSAT since 2015.

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