The Smoke Signal

Hagen Qian:

2023 Homecoming King Candidate Hagen Qian is currently serving as ASB Activities Coordinator. Besides planning the activities at school, he also plays badminton and is involved in clubs like MSJ DECA, Aviation Club, Municipal Journal, and Writers Block. Enthusiastically greeting people in hallways, he believes the most important thing is to be kind and make people smile. Qian wants to leave a lasting, positive legacy and make the most of the 2023-24 school year. Outside of school, he aspires to be Fremont’s number one under 70kg division arm wrestler. “I want my impact to have people go to the gym and get strong … so that way they can beat me in arm wrestling, because right now I am actually undefeated. So people can challenge me if they want,” Qian said.

“[If I were Homecoming King,] I would have dodgeball reinstated at MSJ and for it to be a weekly – SIKE, a daily activity for people to play,” Qian said.

Brandon Bao

2023 Homecoming King Candidate Brandon Bao currently serves as the ASB secretary and previously served as his class’s secretary and a member of Leadership II’s Campus Committee. Outside of student government, he’s also part of a variety of extracurriculars, such as being the President of the school’s Biology and Biotechnology clubs, Co-Captain of the Boys Varsity Basketball team, and an avid cello player.  Bao was inspired by previous ASB officers who also ran for homecoming court and aims to make a similar impression on the student body through his campaign. As a student-athlete, Bao highly values sports. “[I would] make every student … attend at least … one sports game …  it’d be great to have … students just being able to like support your friends and other classmates,” Bao said.  In general, Bao hopes to improve school spirit by inspiring fellow students and helping them  be more active in the school community.

“The most important characteristic of a King is to have a magnificent name … that can roll off your tongue so majestically. Like if you just say my name Brandon Bao it sounds like the name of a king,” Bao said.

Peter George

2023 Homecoming King Candidate Peter George is a participant of multiple clubs and a two year varsity hurdle on the Track and Field team. George is running for King because he wants to be on stage with his friends and aims to leave a positive impact on the student body through his performance. If he could add any law to MSJ he would make lunch free.

“[The most important aspect of a Homecoming King is] being honest and empathetic toward others” George said.

Sharva Prabhavalkar

As a student-athlete participating in track, cross country, and soccer, 2023 Homecoming King Candidate Sharva Prabhavalkar is familiar with working in a team. He also applies these skills to his Relay for Life (RFL) team. “Another fun thing I hope to participate [in] this year is leading another team in RFL, hopefully breaking our donation goal,” Prabhavalkar said. He also believes that a key characteristic of a Homecoming King is to be welcoming and friendly. Though he felt running for King would be outside of his comfort zone,  through the encouragement from his friends, he decided to run just to see what would happen. If he could change anything about MSJ, he would have an artist be featured at every homecoming and prom.

“I just want to leave an impact that helps people know that if you find the right balance between work and fun, Mission can be something better than the nerdy high school it’s labeled as,” Prabhavalkar said.

Parthdwaj Swarnkar

After participating in Track and Field and qualifying for NCS and CIF, 2023 Homecoming King Candidate Parthdwaj Swarnkar now aims to represent the student body as this year’s Homecoming King. As a boy scout, Swarnkar frequently works to benefit the community and currently is establishing a community garden at MSJ for his Eagle Scout project.  Swarnkar believes that one of the core aspects of his personality is his extroversion. “I like to meet new people. … I make it my mission to try and … talk to more people,” Swarnkar said.  Inspired by his older brother and the assemblies organized by MSJ, Swarnkar has wanted to run for Homecoming King ever since he entered MSJ. He hopes to make the overall MSJ community more outgoing by having more people participate in social events.

“The most important characteristic of being Homecoming King is … like, wherever you go … it’s like, all eyes are on you. Because like, everyone knows … he’ll bring all the fun. … he’s like that leader type person. And I feel like I fully embody that,” Swarnkar said.