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upworthy

katie kelzenberg

Ever consider inviting a celebrity to your prom?

It's almost become a tradition: teens shouting out requests on Twitter and Instagram, hoping their plaintive cries (a limo! a full meal at Olive Garden! dancing till dawn!) will catch the hearts of their favorite celeb.

Most of the time, there's no response. Sometimes, these promposals are (rightly) criticized.


This year, though? Something amazing happened when one Minnesota senior invited Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to prom.

In a Twitter video posted in mid-April, Katie Kelzenberg — dressed in her own version of one of The Rock's most iconic looks (yeah, I'm talking jeans and fanny pack) — laid out the reasons Johnson should come to prom with her.

Her tone? A strong attempt at the "smoldering confidence is my superpower" that Johnson is so well known for.

Her reasons? Undeniable.

And yes, that's a pillow with The Rock's face on it. (Do they even sell those in stores? Was it a custom order?) You know Kelzenberg must have taken some ribbing for that pun at the end — but only because it's so good and we're all just jealous we didn't come up with it first.

Listen, if nothing else, this promposal took some nerve. Maybe that's something she learned from Johnson? Don't be afraid! Shoot your shot! Live free or die hard! (Wait...)

But Kelzenberg couldn't have known what The Rock was cooking.

Most celebrity promposals end up as nothing more than a story about the time you invited a famous person to prom and they never responded. But that's not how The Rock works. The guy lives and breathes good deeds. When he's not charming up the movie screen, he's constantly bringing love and sunshine into the world.

And Kelzenberg was no exception. While Johnson couldn't come to prom, he wanted to make Kelzenberg the queen of her high school. So he coordinated with her school and got on the morning announcements.

"Let's start this Friday morning announcement with a little bit of fun and a little bit of excitement," Johnson said via the intercom.

That's Kelzenberg in the red shirt below. And she was feeling a lot more than a bit of excitement. In fact, she looks like someone might need to check on her. Is there a doctor in the school? Because a self-proclaimed "big, brown, bald, tattooed guy" just made her entire year.  

And then he made it even better. "Because we are now best friends and I have so much love for you because you're so awesome, I have a very special gift," Johnson said.

Uh, what could be better than the gift of "best friendship" with The Rock? (which he fully means, by the way. You're in Johnson's orbit — you're now buddies for life). Maybe renting out an entire movie theater — all 232 seats — for Kelzenberg and her friends and family to see his latest film "Rampage" will make up for the fact that The Rock can't make it to the big dance.

And if Kelzenberg was at all sad about him missing her big day? Well, Johnson also bought out all the theater's concessions too. And he posted a special video to thank her for her request on Instagram. (From the gym, of course.)

SURPRISE KATIE KELZENBERG! About a week ago, I come across a video on my Twitter feed, from a student at Stillwater Area High School (oldest high school in Minnesota) asking me if I would be her date to her prom. Unfortunately, I’ll be shooting during that time in Hawaii, BUT I was so impressed by this young lady’s charm and confidence to even ask me (ladies always get shy in front of me) that I had to do something special. I decided to rent out an entire theater (capacity 232 seats) in her town so Katie and her closest 232 friends and family can enjoy a special screening of RAMPAGE. And all the free popcorn, candy and soda high school kids can consume! You’re money’s no good Katie... everything is on Uncle DJ. 🤙🏾🍿 🍭🥤!! And I also taped a special morning message surprising Katie and her high school that will play across the school’s intercom system... literally...RIGHT NOW, Katie should be turning red hearing me surprise her in front of her entire school. I wish I was there in person Katie, to see your reaction to all this, but I’ll hear about for sure and most importantly - you and all your friends have fun at the theater and ENJOY RAMPAGE! Thanks for being an AWESOME FAN and I’m a lucky dude to have fans like you. Uncle DJ 🤟🏾❤️ Ps - the gorilla in Rampage is way smarter (and better looking) than I am, but don’t tell him that because he has a HUGE ego 🦍

A post shared by therock (@therock) on

"This is for a very special young lady," Johnson started enthusiastically before making sure he was pronouncing Kelzenberg's name correctly. "I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for inviting me to your prom. I just want to thank a moment to let you know how awesome you are."

This is the kind of positivity we all need in our lives. But you don't have to wait until prom to create it.

In his message, Johnson thanked Kelzenberg for stepping out of her comfort zone to ask him to the big dance. Johnson was so happy he beamed, calling it "the best and coolest part of my job," in a tweet.

And that's the real message here. She took her shot and touched someone in a big way. That kind of positivity is something we should all be working at on a small scale.

So let's take a cue from Kelzenberg and The Rock and make an effort to step outside our comfort zones every day. You never know what good things might happen!