![“[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)
During long lunch today, Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (WiSTEM) hosted its annual STEM fair and offered many interactive activities to demonstrate the wonders of science while also fostering class spirit.
WiSTEM organized the fair and many clubs collaborated, including the programming, robotics, chemistry, CleanTech, research, medical, HAM radio, Sci-Fy, Quiz Bowl, Science Bowl, The Triple Helix, IGL, and biology clubs.
Participating in the various exercises at each booth allowed students and faculty to gain points for their respective classes. Some activities offered included solving crosswords, bubble blowing, taking a picture for a collage, and doing liquid nitrogen demos. WiSTEM also sold Cutie grams and sweatshirts, while another booth had information on the various organizations for which each class is fundraising.
“[My favorite part] was the bubbles. It was really simple, but it was a lot of fun,” Leslie Tzeng (11) said. “Liquid nitrogen demo was [also] really cool because the flower acts almost like glass.”
Several students found the STEM fair to be an important way to publicize clubs relating to the STEM fields that are less known to students.
“[The fair] sheds more light on academic clubs that many people may not have had the chance to look at or understand,” Jerry Shen (11) said.
Secretary of WiSTEM Daniela Lee (10), along with others, wished more people would have attended the fair because of its importance.
“I do regret not promoting as much and not bringing up the hype this year,” she said. “We live in the Silicon Valley a.k.a. STEM Country. We experience the most cutting-edge technology of the world and people should be aware that this is a luxury we live in.”
Additional events will be held every day for the remainder of this week: a quiz bowl on Thursday and a chemistry magic show on Friday.
