For many, prom is a right of passage.

For Jasmine Shaw, she makes sure that young people get to participate by volunteering with NYPD’s Prom Impact, an annual event that provides free prom outfits to hundreds of teens across the city.

"It's nice to give back to people,” Shaw said. “Because people are in need for a lot of things, and it just makes their life just a tad bit easier."

The initiative is designed to help students who may not have been able to afford prom attire feel like royalty on their big night. For Shaw, a Hollis native, the experience is personal.

"I'm here to just watch the kids enjoy their experience because I had my experience," she said.

Eight years ago, Shaw received a dress for her middle school prom from the same distribution program. At the time, her family was between homes.

"It just made me feel really good and just a sense of ease that it's like we don't have to worry about this part," she said.

Last year, when the Target store where she works sought volunteers to help at Prom Impact, Shaw didn’t hesitate.

"I called my mom immediately because I was like 'Do you remember when this happened to us?’ And then I said, ‘I'm definitely going,'" she recalled.

She assisted young women in picking out their dance outfits and plans to return again this year. Alongside her co-workers, Shaw will be helping with everything from organizing hangers to packing goodie bags — completing a full-circle moment.

"It's just so nice to really just see you find the dress or something that someone loves and then… you just help them out."

For helping young graduates shine, Jasmine Shaw is our New Yorker of the Week.

The NYPD’s Prom Impact will be held on May 3 and 10 at High School for Law Enforcement and Public Safety in Queens and La Central YMCA in the Bronx. Organizers are still taking donations.