BART celebrated their first ever prom

By Jeneé Darden

Published July 22, 2026 at 6:53 PM PDT

(L-R) Alicia Trost, BART’s Chief Communications Officer, and Porfirio Rangel, BART Prom King

Recently, two journalists from our station made Bay Area history by becoming royalty. Reporter Wendy Reyes and “Sights + Sounds” Producer Porfirio Rangel were crowned king and queen at the first ever BART Prom. Their creative, prom-proposal video won them the honor. More than 1,200 people attended the sold-out ‘80s-themed party, and danced under the Rockridge BART Station rails. This is part of a list of fun events BART has organized to increase their ridership. Alicia Trost is BART’s chief communications officer. Jeneé spoke with her and 2026 BART Prom King Porfirio Rangel.

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Jeneé Darden

Jeneé Darden is an award-winning journalist, author, public speaker and proud Oakland native. She is the executive producer and host of the weekly arts segment Sights & Sounds as well as the series Sights + Sounds Magazine. Jeneé also covers East Oakland for KALW. Jeneé has reported for NPR, Marketplace, KQED, KPCC, The Los Angeles Times, Ebony magazine, Refinery29 and other outlets. In 2005, she reported on the London transit bombings for Time magazine. Prior to coming to KALW, she hosted the podcast Mental Health and Wellness Radio.

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