Joe Hazlip deejays Homecoming, crowd approves
On the evening of Friday, November 7, 2025, ARHS students walked into the school’s side entrance and were met with flashing lights, booming music, and a professional DJ at the forefront of it all. But that DJ wasn’t someone hired for Homecoming; he was ARHS senior Joseph Hazlip, a member of the 2026 Class Council who volunteered to run the show.
Hazlip, along with Craig Hrones, Cynthia Tian, Eden Polak, Namdol Dorjee, Owen Howard, Sydney Holmes, and Zack Heim, are all part of the senior Class Council. “[We] organize fundraisers to raise money for prom,” said Hazlip.
Hazlip was inspired by DJs on the social media app TikTok to purchase semi-professional sound equipment. “My birthday was coming up, and I was like, ‘What do I want?’ A DJ [mixer that plugs into a laptop] would be fun, so I did research, and that was my birthday present,” he said.
Hazlip didn’t initially plan on DJing the dance. “What happened is that I didn’t join a student council call, and they kind of decided [in my absence] that I would DJ. And I was like, ‘Why not? I can do it,” said Hazlip. “I also did it for free, so we didn’t have to spend any money on a DJ.”
Along with his mixer, Hazlip borrowed PA speakers and a microphone from the school auditorium for his homecoming show.
In Hazlip’s sophomore year, he attended homecoming and enjoyed it. However, many of his peers had critiques. “I noticed there were a lot of rap songs, which I really loved,” he said, but audience members told him they also wanted pop songs, Spanish songs, rock songs, and other genres as well. “So, [this time], I wanted to play a set for a greater audience with songs everyone would like.”
Hazlip said the best and most difficult thing about DJing is the crowd reaction. “It’s just a good feeling to make people happy,” said Hazlip. “And then the hardest part is when you play a song, and you can visually see people who are not messing with it, because you can’t please everyone.”
Junior Miira Engelhardt, who attended on November 7, had positive memories from the night. “I really liked it,” she said. “He did a really great job and kept the vibes going.”
Senior Caesar Marcus felt the same way. “I went to homecoming once before, but this was so much better. More people showed up and were into it,” said Marcus.
At first, Hazlip noticed the crowd wasn’t as energetic for the first couple of songs, “[but] once I played ‘Your Love is My Drug’ by Kesha and ‘I Love It’ by Charli xcx, that’s when I saw more people come out.”
Hazlip also noticed the crowd reacting well to songs like “Die Young,” by Kesha, “God’s Plan,” by Drake, and “Mo Bomba,” by Sheck Wes. “[The crowd] jumped, danced, and screamed,” he said.
Hazlip said he hopes to DJ future school events and inspire other students to take on similar roles.
