Miami Palmetto junior Charlotte Yedo grew up loving princesses. So, when she was 14, she didn’t mind when her mom’s friend asked her to dress up like a princess for a child’s birthday party. That party was success.
What was even more successful is what happened next. Her mom posted a picture of her in the princess costume. Reaction was so strong, with many of her mom’s friends asking if she could do the same at other birthday parties, that Yedo’s business was born. Called At Your Services by Princess Charlotte, Yedo is booked for weekend events.
“I go to little girls’ birthday parties all dressed up as a princess,” she says. “I stay an hour or two. I’ll take a lot of pictures for the parents.
We play games and sing songs and I’ll give the birthday girl prizes.”
She loves her work.
“I enjoy the little girls’ smiles on their faces and the happiness I bring them for their birthdays,” she says.
She’s been in business long enough that she makes repeat appearances at a child’s party now.
“They’ll have a different favorite princess and I’ll go back and it’s super sweet,” she says.
At first, she’d buy costumes online and her friend’s mom would make alterations. Now they have started making their own costumes.
She’s now so busy, she’s thinking of expanding and hiring additional princesses.
The money she makes goes into her college fund. A portion is used to buy more costumes.
Playing princess comes naturally, since Yedo was a thespian from the time she was in third grade. However, she wanted a change a couple of years ago so she switched from drama and dance to cheerleading. She’s been a cheerleader for two years now.
Through cheering, she does a lot of community service. She cheers for the sporting events and other school events, such as college fairs.
Outside of school, they cheered for the Smart Ride, a bike event that begins at the University of Miami and ends in Key West.
At Palmetto, Yedo is a member of the HIP club that sends juniors and seniors into ninth grade classes to talk about health-related issues.
“We teach them sex ed, how to be health, drugs and Tabaco, and what decisions they should make,” she says. “We teach them about mental health. A lot of parents don’t talk to them about with. It’s nice when it’s a person your age you can connect with on a personal level.”
It’s important to her to be able to share the knowledge with the younger students.
“They get to make better decisions,” she says.
The HIP educators field questions while they are teaching. Most questions are answered but there are some questions they can’t answer.
Those questions are referred to the website or to the club sponsor.
In college, Yedo wants to major in psychology.
“I really like helping people. People will call me at three in the morning needing my help,” she says. “I’ve gone through a lot myself.
Helping others makes me happy.”
She’s undecided as to her top college. She’s researching colleges now.
Before starting her senior year, she’s going to the Dominican Republic on a Blue Mission trip. This summer, Yedo will spend eight days building an aqueduct system in a remote village.
“I’ve heard a lot of friends from private schools do it,” she says. “I wanted to be a part of this so one of the parents researched it. I’m going with a bunch of friends.”
Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld
