AMERICUS, Ga. — You may have seen the viral video of a high school girl from Georgia who arrived to prom in a casket.
"I was shocked," Alexandrea Clark told 11Alive over Skype Monday. "I didn't know that it was going to go that viral."
Clark arrived to her senior prom in a hearse on Saturday at Americus Sumter High School. She took the short, five to 10-minute ride from the funeral home to school, which has since gone viral. She says her vision for her grand entrance was two years in the making.
She told 11Alive she did it in-part to encourage her classmates to not drink and drive.
"I was thinking about my class and how they are going to prom and doing the bad stuff after prom; like having drugs and doing all that," she said.
PHOTOS | GA high school student arrives to prom in hearse
Clark was in middle school when her mother pushed her to start thinking about what her career would be.
"I started volunteering with the funeral home, and I started liking it,” Clark said.
The teen has been working at the West Mortuary in Americus for the last two years. While the idea of arriving in a casket may seem morbid, Clark says her message wasn't meant to be offensive.
"This is just what I do, and this is my career that I plan on doing and I love what I do," she explained. "I love being around people and helping others. And it's not to disrespect anybody.”
Clark, who wants to be a funeral director, will be attending Ogeechee Technical College in the Fall and has gotten phone calls from funeral directors in Georgia, offering her internships and help while she is in school.
