![“[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)
On September 26, Dr. Gregory E. Chamitoff, a NASA astronaut and alumnus of Blackford High School, visited Harker as part of the Speaker Series to share his experiences with hundreds of parents, students, and faculty.
Dr. Chamitoff recounted memories of his one hundred and ninety eight days on the International Space Station (ISS). Though the main purpose was to install an alpha magnetic spectrometer on the $100 billion space station, he also performed experiments to study fluid dynamics, human physiology, and seed banks in the zero-gravity environment.
In preparation for worst-case scenarios, all the astronauts on board the mission underwent rigorous training in various disciplines including robotics, foreign languages, physical endurance, and medicine. Dr. Chamitoff recalled studying Russian for up to eight hours a day and learning to intubate patients and draw his own blood.
Dr. Chamitoff spoke of the reasons behind his career choice. His father, a mathematician, engineer, and Trekkie, provided him with constant inspiration, along with several of his high school teachers. A definitive moment in his life was when he watched the Apollo 11 launch from Daytona Beach at age six.
When asked about the sensation of living in space, Dr. Chamitoff said: “You feel like you’re Superman when you’re in space; gravity turns off and stays off.”
Holding a handrail and looking out into the infinite darkness, Dr. Chamitoff described feeling like he was on the edge of reality. “You feel like a very special part of the earth to see it from that perspective,” he said.
Over the course of his most recent stay in space, he took over 22,000 photographs for earth observation. One of his most salient accomplishments was participating in the last installation for the ISS and being the last American astronaut to spacewalk as part of the Space Shuttle Program.
