From Kirby-themed posters to boba-inspired surprises, this year’s Homecoming Dance proposals brought creativity and excitement to campus and social media in the week leading up to the Oct. 25 Homecoming Dance. Students across all grade levels found unique ways to ask their dates, turning ordinary days into moments of celebration.
Freshman Luis Esquivel made his first proposal on Oct. 9 in the school quad, using a Kirby-themed sign that read, “I’ll inhale all my nerves just to ask you to homecoming.”
He spent three days preparing the sign before presenting it in front of classmates during lunch. “I was super nervous, but I knew I just had to go for it,” Esquivel said. “If you’re nervous, just do it. Don’t back down.”
His date, freshman Kenzi Gonzales, said yes as the quad erupted in applause. The moment reflected the creativity and courage many freshmen brought to their first high school Homecoming.
While Esquivel’s approach focused on humor and school spirit, senior Christian Soltys took a more personal route with a boba themed proposal off campus. He planned his surprise for Wednesday before the Homecoming game at a local boba shop.
“I made it with the help of my friends late at night,” Soltys said. “I wanted to do something meaningful since it’s my last Homecoming.”
His proposal centered around his date, Tran-Tran Nguyen’s favorite flavor, taro, to make the moment special. “I proposed at a boba place, which threw her off because she thought it was just a hangout,” Soltys said.
Nguyen was caught completely off guard. “I thought we were just getting boba,” she said. “He bought a drink, but it was in a bag, and that seemed weird. Then his friend went outside, so we followed—and that’s when I realized it was a proposal.”
Nguyen later discovered that the Homecoming sign had been hidden in her car trunk. “It all clicked when I remembered he said he couldn’t open his trunk earlier,” she said.
Nguyen originally planned to propose at school with the song “Self Control” by Frank Ocean playing in the background, a nod to the lyric “used to live a blonded life” since Nguyen is blonde.
From the nervous excitement of a freshman’s first proposal to the thoughtful planning of a senior’s final one, students across grades showed how creativity, friendship, and courage make homecoming season memorable each year.
