Highlighter Kid brightens days with fancy outfits

By JESSICA MA daily senior staffer @jessicama2025

For many Northwestern students, Highlighter Kid is a highlight of their day.

McCormick sophomore Elijah Esparza, dubbed “Highlighter Kid,” is a familiar figure around campus known for his brightly colored, monochromatic clothing.

“It’s a very low-effort way to bring somebody joy or make someone get excited or laugh,” Esparza said. “I definitely appreciate the hype.” In the iconic 2004 film “Mean Girls,” Karen Smith says, “On Wednesdays, we wear pink.” But on Wednesdays, Esparza wears neon blue.

Esparza cycles his outfits around a schedule. Each day, he wears a designated color — which he said keeps laundry simple. He wears yellow on Monday and green on Friday.

Saturdays are more of a “toss-up,” depending on how Esparza is feeling. It’s usually a bright red, like a “tomato” color, he said. But sometimes he’ll mix it up.

“I don’t have to make a decision in the morning,” Esparza said. “I’m not going, ‘Oh man, I really wish I had those shorts.’ Nope, I only need those on Friday — one time.”

Esparza said he doesn’t know exactly when his bold fashion choices began. In middle school, he started wearing brighter clothing, which he said evolved into full solid-colored outfits over time.

Esparza’s hometown friend Riley Whittington had never seen someone dress in all neon before meeting Esparza. And for the most part, he said, he’s only seen Esparza in neon colors.

Once, Whittington said he saw Esparza wear standard-colored clothing at a graduation party, which was a rare occurrence. Esparza wore shorts, polo and a pair of Vans. To be fair, he still wore a yellow shirt, Whittington said.

“It was so funny seeing him like that,” Whittington said. “The dude can dress nice either way. He’s got his own style. He sticks to it.”

At NU, Esparza owns accessories that are brightly colored to go with his daily wardrobe, including a couple backpacks and a blanket. Esparza, who owns about 30 to 40 highlighters, said his favorite brand is Sharpie because he’s a fan of the “big, standard” highlighter shape. Esparza’s girlfriend Sophia Fallanca said highlighters carry through to other aspects of his life, such as his Instagram handle (@therealhumanhighlighter) and his studies.

“All of this stuff is neon,” Fallanca said.

“He’s at his desk, using his neon items — just going hard with all of this neon stuff on his homework.”

Almost everything in Esparza’s closet is neon, excluding some paraphernalia from his favorite metal bands, he said.

The only time Esparza doesn’t wear neon is at music shows, he said. For concerts, he’ll wear pants and a shirt from a metal band. He said he prefers pants to “mosh” in.

“Lots happen on the floor,” Esparza said.

“Neon’s just not the clothing of choice.”

Esparza is multifaceted, according to Fallanca. When it comes to academics, he’s serious. But when it comes to mosh pits, she said, he’s “going crazy.”

Fallanca said she doesn’t think much about Esparza’s fashion style. It’s just blended into who he is, she said.

“When I see him, I don’t see his clothes as bright as they are,” Fallanca said. “But it is really easy to find him in the airport.”

Whittington said Esparza’s traits make him a great friend. Esparza strives to be the best version of himself, which Whittington finds admirable.

Esparza’s fashion choices were initially a shock to Whittington. At the end of the day, though, Whittington said he is a “standard bro.”

“I’m just a guy,” Esparza said. “I just wear the clothes that I own.” jessicama2025@u.northwestern.edu

Another researcher in Easterday’s team, fourthyear technology and social behavior Ph.D. candidate Gus Umbelino, manages a database with information about residents who signed up to take part in participatory budgeting. He designs online forms to invite people to attend meetings and for them to submit their ideas for the budget.

Umbelino said the participatory budgeting program allows him to study how technology can support civic engagement, putting his skills in computer science and outreach to use for a real-world campaign.

From November to February, the city held 10 meetings for residents to discuss and submit their ideas for the budget. Participatory Budgeting Manager Matthew Ouren said the city has collected more than 1,200 ideas with the help of NU researchers and volunteers.

Ouren said the next step is for resident “budget delegates” to meet and select and develop ideas into proposals that will be on the ballot later this year.

Evanston resident Michelle Long said she first heard about participatory budgeting from her daughter, a sophomore at Evanston Township High School.

Long, a budget delegate on the Asian, South Asian and Pacific Islander American affinity committee, said her group is working on a proposal to build an Asian American cultural and arts center in Evanston.

“We’re asking for funding to have a standalone building to provide a space where Asian-identifying people can come to celebrate culture, learn (and) have a community,” Long said.

She added that participatory budgeting is an example of “democracy working in action.”

While School of Education and Social Policy researchers helped implement the process for Evanston’s participatory budgeting, other students worked on publicizing the program and facilitated events as a part of their coursework for the SESP Civic Engagement Certificate.

“It’s really important that the students are working on a real campaign in a real organization,” Easterday, an instructor in the certificate program, said. “It’s not something you can learn just by reading about it or doing exercises.”

SESP freshman Anusha Kumar said working on participatory budgeting has helped her get to know Evanston.

“As Northwestern students, we often feel very distant and not very connected to the community,” Kumar said. “I think the certificate is a great way to get involved in the community and start building those connections.”

The students in her class work in teams that organize events to promote participatory budgeting in the community, Kumar said.

Communication junior Jordan Muhammad, a student in the certificate program who uses ki/kis pronouns, said ki is excited about participatory budgeting because it empowers residents to make decisions for themselves.

A member of Fossil Free NU, Muhammad said ki has also been applying the skills, such as formatting meetings, that ki learned to the organization.

“It just makes me excited that I’m learning things that are being used in the field of community organizing,” Muhammad said. “I’m also thinking new things, like concepts, tools and skills, that I wouldn’t have had I not done the program.”

Leonard Lamkin, an Evanston resident for 30 years and a member of the participatory budgeting housing committee, said his committee is considering proposing rental assistance programs, including one that helps people aged 14 to 21 to find housing.

He said he appreciates the community partnership between NU and Evanston on participatory budgeting and would like to see the city incorporate that collaboration into its yearly budgeting process.

“It’s a learning process for the students, and it’s good because they’re providing extra research. They’re providing extra hands,” Lampkin said. “It’s what Northwestern should be doing, not just with this process, but with every process … in the city of Evanston.” caseyhe2026@u.northwestern.edu him with the biggest smile on his face.” released Monday listing six official demands of the University: an in-person meeting between its authors and the administration within seven days, consultation with Black students by Multicultural Student Affairs on decisions that affect the Black House, funding increases for Black student-led organizations, a review of NU recruitment and admissions policies, an end to the policing of Black spaces and a plan for the University to meet the demands of the Bursar’s Office Takeover.

As of Tuesday night, 23 student organizations and more than 400 students had signed the letter.

“I want to see some stuff in black and white with signatures on it. I don’t just want words,” Ligon said. “We need to actually see tangible evidence.”

In April 1968, representatives from For Members Only and the Afro-American Student Union presented a list of demands to the NU administration, many asking for more resources for Black students on campus. These included an increase in Black student admissions, an acknowledgment of the existence of institutional racism at the University and the establishment of a Black student union.

The administration did not meet all of the demands by May 2, 1968. As a result, more than 100 NU students took over the Bursar’s Office on May 3 and 4 in a peaceful effort to bring attention to the issues presented. The occupation ended 38 hours later, when University administrators committed to increasing support and services for Black students in admissions, curriculum, counseling, scholarship, housing and facilities.

However, four of the original demands have not been met, according to the event organizers. NU has not issued an official statement acknowledging the existence of institutional racism at the University, increased financial scholarships for Black students, created Black residential colleges nor hired a Black counselor for Black students, the organizers said.

Communication sophomore Blessing Agyare, said she decided to attend Tuesday’s rally because of the new policy at the Black House. For Agyare and her friends, the space is their “home.”

“I want to say it’s shocking, but it’s not,” Agyare said. “Black lives continue to not be a priority for the University.”

In a Tuesday afternoon statement to The Daily, University spokesperson Jon Yates said NU “acknowledged racism” in its original agreement with students in 1968 and currently employs Black counselors who are available for Black students. He also cited NU’s financial aid policy of meeting cost-of-attendance needs without loans.

Yates also said the University has worked with student leaders to address the issues raised in the Bursar’s Office Takeover. He said although NU has recently increased security patrols on campus in response to reports of vandalism and theft, it has reformed protocol so the Division of Student Affairs now handles some situations that UP previously would have handled.

“The University is mindful that we must balance calls for increased security with student concerns around security presence,” Yates said in the statement.

Following the rally, students painted The Rock black with white lettering that reads “Stop policing Black spaces,” “We keep us safe” and “Meet our demands,” among other statements. Ligon said The Rock is “very symbolic” for NU students and that painting it is a form of activism.

She added that organizers wanted to paint The Rock to leave their mark on campus and so passersby could be aware of their movement.

“This is just the beginning,” Ligon told the crowd. “We will continue to protest and practice other forms of demonstration and activism until our demands are met.” pavanacharya2025@u.northwestern.edu russellleung2024@u.northwestern.edu about them being their brothers’ keepers, you know what I’m saying. He was trying to make responsible, young men out of his brothers.”

Jacquis Irby’s Facebook profile picture features his younger brother’s logo — a marketing emblem he used to try and promote Yaris Irby’s basketball career, according to Tinch.

Yaris Irby said his brother’s support for his endeavors will always stick with him.

“My personal favorite memory was playing in my game against Evanston,” he said. “I remember hitting a three and looking over and seeing

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Growing up, Jacquis Irby spent time hanging out at the Robert Crown Community Center. There, former Evanston Community Services Manager Kevin Brown met Jacquis Irby and two of his brothers.

Brown engaged him in a program on Martin Luther King Jr.’s principles of nonviolence. He said Jacquis Irby gravitated toward the curriculum and spoke about what he’d learned at an event hosted at the Evanston Art Center.

“When he was involved in those small groups, not only did he have leadership ability, but he also was very helpful to other young people,” Brown said. “He was a good person.”

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Jacquis Irby will be remembered by the Evanston community for his commitment to family and his passion for basketball, Tinch said.

On Friday, Jacquis Irby’s family was called and told to come to an impromptu memorial for Robert Crown. Tinch said he wasn’t involved in the planning — so he was stunned at the number of people who came to the balloon release that was arranged to honor his nephew.

“It was hundreds, if not even a thousand balloons that were let off in his memory,” Tinch said. “So I know that he’s made his mark and was very loved by the community and the youth there in Evanston.”

Tinch remembered that as a family, Jacquis

Irby, his brothers and his mom would always participate in community service activities like helping with free haircut days or cleaning up after the Juneteenth festival.

Jacquis Irby did his best to get ahead despite not always having the opportunity to do so, Tinch said.

“I really want people to remember his pledge as a parent, him being a very, very good father,” he said. “I want people to remember that — you know what I’m saying — he was a family guy and always there trying to protect his brothers.” avivabechky2025@u.northwestern.edu avanikalra2025@u.northwestern.edu