![“[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)
Starting this week until next Friday, both girls and boys Varsity soccer teams are selling bracelets, shirts, raffle tickets, and hair ties during lunch to support the annual Kicks Against Cancer fundraiser for Camp Okizu.
All the proceedings from the various sales at the game and the days preceding it are donated to Camp Okizu, an organization with a chief purpose of providing continual support to families who have been affected by childhood cancer.
Girls Varsity team captains Wendy Shwe (12) and Amy Gendotti (12) believe that Kicks Against Cancer is an opportunity for the members to represent the school in a grand scale and see its unity as they combat cancer.
“I truly love playing in the game, but it is also cool to see everybody together in the stand with their purple shirts. That’s my favorite part of it all.” Amy said.
Wendy further noted that more subtle aspects of the event and its attendees are what make Kicks Against Cancer so memorable and enjoyable.
“Seeing all the families [suffering from cancer] during half time get the checks […] it’s always the best part,” Wendy said. “I just think that it is a good way to see both the Varsity soccer teams play and to support these families.”
Although some annual traditions, such as “Butts Off,” in which teachers turn around and allow students to kick them with soccer balls, will continue at the game, soccer team members are looking to elicit greater involvement from the audience with other planned events.
“We are trying to find new ways for different student participation,” Amy said. “Even though we are going to still have Butts Off again, […] we are going to see [how to] involve the students more during the actual game.”
Another change this year is the expansion of raffle donations, allowing raffle winners to gain a larger variety of prizes.
Although T-shirts just arrived today, the soccer team members are confident that sales are far from over. Kicks Against Cancer will take place on January 25 when the girls Varsity soccer team will play against Eastside College Prep, and the boys Varsity team will challenge Pinewood School.
![LALC Vice President of External Affairs Raeanne Li (11) explains the International Phonetic Alphabet to attendees. "We decided to have more fun topics this year instead of just talking about the same things every year so our older members can also [enjoy],” Raeanne said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DSC_4627-1200x795.jpg)
