![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)
![“[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)
Students stared intently into screens with fingers moving rapidly about Wii consoles. Although music filled the room, the lights were off and all attention was fixated to the video games.
A gaming event in the gym hosted yesterday by Programming Club and IGL (Interscholastic Gaming League) kicked off the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) lunchtime activities.
This event is one of the events planned by WiSTEM (Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) for STEM week. During this week, the four classes will earn points through daily events to donate the most money to the charitable cause of their choice.
Several members of WiSTEM, Programming Club, IGL, and other students interested in gaming gathered around a large projector and two television screens in the gym.
WiSTEM member and IGL member Archana Podury (10) attended the event because she enjoys playing video games. She noticed that this event exposed gaming to a wider base of students.
“In IGL, most of [the members] are guys, but there are a lot more girls here,” she said.
Co-President of IGL Carlos Johnson-Cruz (12) kept the event running by attending to dead batteries and a lack of power.
He explained that IGL meets every Friday in club advisor Misael Fisico’s room. Although the turnout could have been better, Carlos was still satisfied with what had been accomplished.
“Our intention was first to sort of aid [WiSTEM] in their endeavors, but also give everyone a chance to experience IGL outside of Fridays, and to give them a place to relax and just enjoy themselves,” he said. “As long as we have some people coming to enjoy it, that’s all that matters.”
WiSTEM member Jessica Zhu (9) helped to manage the gaming event. Jessica was most excited to “see how much [money] the classes raise.”
Additional STEM events will be held each day this week during lunch. Wednesday’s STEM fair will feature booths from the STEM clubs to allow students and faculty to learn more about each group.
