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You guys ready for homecoming?! I hope you are, because it’s coming up quick! From the pep rally, spirit week, the game, dance, floats and performances, next week will definitely be a time to remember! And if you thought all THAT wasn’t action packed enough, there’s still one essential factor to next week that’s super important and certainly coming up quickly! That’s right, you guessed it, the nominees for homecoming court! After the selective decision process, and tediously counting all the nomination votes, the results for the nominees are in and it looks like its going to be a tough call this year. This week, we had the chance to personally interview some of the candidates, and gather their thoughts regarding the upcoming elections next week. Each of nominees were asked to address the questions, “Why are you running for homecoming court?”, “Why do you think people should vote for you”, and their partner, (if they had one) was running with them. Check out what they had to say below!

Meet Andrew Tayag:  “I’m running for homecoming court because I really believe in bringing diversity to this school, and I’m involved in a lot of programs that bring diversity here. I’m personally in UNITY and that basically brings diversity to campus, and I’m in link crew that’s designated for freshmen, and helps freshmen understand what its like to be apart of such a big community and family. And I’m also the president of my club, the Association for Filipino Americans, or AFA, which is a club that really brings the Filipino community together, and creates more awareness about diversity here at ERHS, which is really important because the community here is so big. So I’m basically running for homecoming because I just really want to bring that awareness to the whole student body so people can understand what it means to be a mustang! And not just me, but also I’m running with one of my best friends Xanqi  Xue, and its so special to be running with her because we’ve been friends for as long as I can remember; since she first moved from China to America in fourth grade, and we’ve always been great friends ever since! And running with her was a great way to bring that diversity to the whole cause!”

Meet Chris Pate: “I’m running for homecoming court to have a good time, and it actually started off as a joke with some friends, and I think this is my year to really get out there and participate in a bunch of different stuff and  have e fun to really make my senior year fantastic. And I think people should vote for me for homecoming king because I’m really trying to have fun with it and I’m not taking it too seriously in a bad way, and trying to have a light mood with it, and hopefully voters appreciate that. And actually I’m running by myself this year, which I think really showcases my attitude towards the whole thing where I’m really trying to have fun and make this year as memorable as possible.”

Meet Shane Batilaran: “I’m running for homecoming court because I feel like this is the best time to have fun senior year, which is why I ran for homecoming court because its such a great opportunity for not only the seniors to vote, but for other classes to as well. And this is really important to me because I’m the only one in my family to run for any type of position like this, and as the youngest, I really wanna bring out my family, to show that I can be a king for homecoming, and I wanna use this as an opportunity to show people who I really am, while having fun at the same time. And I feel like people should vote for me for homecoming king because I feel like I’m well involved with the school. Being on varsity basketball, and in Polynesian club, class council, and link crew,  ultimately  helps me relate to others; as I’m also well acquainted with people involved in various other clubs, which also helps me embrace and get to know people from different cultures on this campus, as we’re all just one big community. And I feel like I’m a  genuinely nice person around campus, and someone who enjoys helping and being there for others, and also someone people can really talk to and approach, which is why I think people should vote for me. And although she’s not here, I’m also running with one of my closest friends, Hannah. We’ve been friends since sixth grade, and we always had this pact that if there was ever a time in high school where we could have the opportunity to run together, we would, and here we are so it’s actually kind of funny. But her running is really special to her considering her brother once ran, and he sadly didn’t win, so she definitely wants make this dream a reality so it’s super special for both of us”

Meet Xanqi Xue: “I’m running for homecoming court because its always been a dream for me to run for something, especially homecoming ever since I was a freshman, and I mainly wanted to run to prove that the person who wins, isn’t just based on popularity, but more so, their contributions to the school, how much their involved, and overall how nice they are to people rather than who is and isn’t “popular”. And I also want to represent the Chinese & Asian community, because in the past, there hasn’t really been any representation of these cultures who have run for court, so I really want to be that representation for them because I really love my culture. I think people should vote for me because I’ve always believed in being kind to others, because it’s a two way street, and to do unto others as you would want done to you, is a policy I’ve always admired and lived by, and am always nice to everyone, and those I’m involved with. As for what I’m involved in, I’m apart of TVPD, link crew, vice president of Fashion Club, and I used to be on the dance team; and as for people voting for me, I  have no grudges against anyone who doesn’t because that wont change how I’ll see others, as this whole thing is just a fun experience to have! Not only for me, but also one of my best friends, Andrew Tayag who I’m running with! We’ve been my friends since fourth grade, so I’ve basically known him the majority of my life, and he and I wanted to run for homecoming so we did it together, and are all about representing our culture, and having fun!”

Meet Kylie Cabuguason: “I’m running for homecoming court because I wanted to represent the band community here at ERHS, and the reason why I think people should vote for me is because of my involvement in different activities on this campus such as band, and I want to be a representation of that culture here on this campus, in addition to my friends who are involved in color guard, and everyone apart of our family! Not only that, but I really appreciate all the support from my friends, family, and classmates who have been nothing but amazing and supportive of me running; also considering I’m running by myself, which ahs still been a fun experience so far. But basically with the support of everyone who I know and love, I really hope everyone will vote for me to be homecoming queen!”
As you guys can see the competition looks pretty stiff this year considering all the candidates seem more than qualified to become the next homecoming king or queen! In addition to the following candidates above, there’s still three more candidates to consider, that unfortunately couldn’t make a statement, but still possess the same values and desires as the others running. Those include: Hannah Villasenor, Lucas Anotado, and Charisma Del Toro, so don’t forget about them! *Check out the slideshow above to view the pictures of some of the candidates running* In the midst of all the activities next week, make sure to vote for the following candidates starting next Wednesday and Thursday! Come on Mustangs, let’s go, let’s go!!