The University of Miami’s annual Homecoming celebrations kicked off with the announcement of this year’s homecoming theme — “Leave Your Legacy” — met with restless anticipation coming from students gathered at Lakeside Patio.
This past Thursday, the Homecoming Executive Committee (HEC), led by UM students Josh Abel, Sara Ebrahimi, Isa Lozano and Sarah Sluka, took to the Lakeside Patio stage along with members of the Frost Band of the Hour (FBOTH) and the Hurricanettes.
The theme, “Leave Your Legacy,” evokes superhero and comic book-esque imagery that makes the Hurricanes an invincible entity unlike any other university.
Category 5 presented an arrangement of speeches during its annual pep rally, featuring Vice President of Student Affairs and Alumni Engagement, Patricia A. Whitely, and Student Body President, Niles Niseem.
While the FBOTH serenaded the upcoming announcement, the Hurricanettes put on a spectacular show, accompanied by a dancing Sebastian the Ibis hyping up the crowd.
“It was an exciting time on campus, people were looking forward to starting the season off strong,” said Alex Strassman, a 2008 UM alumnus.
Homecoming Week 2023, set to take place from Oct. 23 to Oct. 27, is sure to be action-packed with annual events including the homecoming pageant, boat burning and spirit tree competition — all in anticipation of the football game against the University of Virginia Cavaliers on Oct. 28.
“Every year the Homecoming Executive Committee provides a fresh expression of the celebrated traditions and spirit of the ‘Canes community,” said Sluka, chair of HEC. “As classes and committees move up through the school, it is always exciting to see what each new committee chooses to highlight as most important to their University of Miami experience.”
According to Sluka, the new theme perpetuates the notion that each member of the UM community is a hero and has the opportunity to make a difference and grow into their potential.
“We are all living in the legacy created by the members of the ‘Canes community that came before us,” Sluka said. “We have an incredible opportunity to celebrate that, while also thinking about the legacy that each of us would like to create within our communities. It is empowering to know that we are all working for the good of our university community and that there are legacies in the making all around us.”
For more information about Homecoming week, follow @umiamihomecoming and @um_category5 on Instagram for updates.