Trey Potter gave his mom, Melissa “MelRo” Roshan, an early Mother’s Day gift: He took her to prom to give her an experience she never had.
MelRo — who grew up in 23 different foster care and group homes — became pregnant with Trey when she was 16. While living in a homeless shelter for teen parents, she earned her GED and worked to earn money for Trey. Today, the Ohio-based beauty is a successful model and foster youth advocate.
“After surviving a tumultuous childhood and an even harder time while in foster care, I immediately transitioned into being a teen mother,” MelRo tells Luxury Handbag Shopping. “Seeing all my friends around me go to prom … was incredibly difficult. Part of me really wanted to go, but I knew I had a baby that needed me. And that became my reason for finding peace in missing out.”
On April 16, a Vera Wang–clad MelRo finally made it to prom — on the arm of her 18-year-old son, Trey. “I felt like an old grandma initially! But I enjoyed my time once I let myself just be a kid again,” the the 36-year-old tells Us. “I decided to leave after an hour so that I would not hog up too much of the night. Then I went home and slept in happy peace. It was one of the greatest moments of my life.”
And Trey felt the same way. “My mom is one of the most inspirational people I know,” says the high school senior. “After all she’s sacrificed and been through, I felt taking her was the least I could do.”
Trey plans to study chemical engineering in the fall. He is the first in MelRo’s family to attend college.
