![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
One Pant Leg Up Thursdays
Morgan Douglas (9), Kaitlin Hsu (9), Serena Lu (9) and Julia Huang (9) showcase their rolled-up pant legs. Students have rolled up their pant legs to celebrate Darren’s new fashion trend, OPLUT.
A new trend, One Pant Leg Up Thursdays (OPLUT) began Oct. 30 among the freshmen class.
According to his Facebook post, Darren Gu, the Vice President for the freshman class, decided to start OPLUT to “carve his own path in fashion” even though some of his friends say that one pant rolled up does not fit with the current fashion.
The new fashion trend resulted from Darren’s admiration of bikers as avid athletes.
“For biking, it’s a way to be different,” Darren said. “It is also exhilarating. When you bike on the road, its kind of scary sometimes. It’s scary, but not scary. It’s like you’re living life on the edge.”
He created this trend by combining the fashion of bikers and the current trends.
Darren says he often bikes with his close friend, Maxwell Wohrmann (9). Most bikers would fold their pant leg up because their right pant leg gets caught with a part of the bike. He also lacks confidence with the current trend where the leg is folded to the calf, so he decided to fold it all the way up to the knee.
As the day proceeded, many other freshmen decided to join OPLUT. Although today’s weather was slightly colder, they believe in the importance of supporting their friend in his new idea.
“Darren’s a really unique person,” Amy Jin (9) said. “I think it’s just a part of him; he wants to start a new trend. I see many people with one pant leg up this Thursday and I think it will spread across the entire student body.”
On the other hand, other students lack confidence in Darren’s innovative fashion. They do not believe the new trend will spread among the student body.
“It is getting cold and winter is coming, so people will not want to roll up their pants,” Shaya Zarkesh (9) said. “But overall, I think this trend looks alright.”
Darren hopes his new fashion will spread to at least half of the students body because as of right now, only his friends in the freshman class participated in the event. He says he will continue to advertise his idea on the Facebook page: One Pant Leg Up Thursdays.
Jackie Gao (10) is in her second year on staff is a reporter of the Winged Post. Her favorite part of journalism is the ability to interact with various...
Gordon • Sep 18, 2021 at 8:50 pm
I guess by now you all figure out this fashion is at least 30 years old.