![“[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)
“Brbrbrbrbrbrbrbrbrbr…. SOLD!” chanted Damon Casatico, who led the live auctions during both the lunch and dinner shows at the school’s annual fashion show, Mission: Possible.
Founder and president of Charity Benefit Auctions Casatico, back as an auctioneer by popular demand, has led nine out the 10 fashion show auctions. His energetic demeanor motivated many bidders to raise their paddles to offer bids and elicited other audience members to laugh in unison.
This year, rather than having one only at the night show, an auction was also conducted during the lunch show. A total of 10 items were auctioned off during the lunch show, including family trips to Discovery Bay and Disney World, as well as unique opportunities such as being a teacher for a day or recording a professional CD.
During the dinner show, 19 more items were auctioned, including an internship at Prysm, a labrador puppy, and a trip to the set of Iron Man.
Many students were excited to watch the auction items and bidders.
“It’s interesting to see what items are sold and how much they go for,” said Wendy Shwe (12), who was at her first dinner show.
All of the auction items were donated to the school by companies, alumni, teachers, parents, and others. Proceeds were given to fundraise for the school. Prices ranged from a couple hundred dollars to thousands.
Several attendants were glad that they were able to support the school by participating in the auction.
“Harker’s such a great school,” said Ayman Sayed, father of Adam Sayed (1), who won the first bid. “I feel great contributing to the fundraiser. The fashion show is really moving [and] an awesome experience.”
Some winners, such as Sandeep Vij, father of Sameer Vij (11) and Sarina Vij (12), who won a ride in two sports cars, bidded not only because he was interested in the prizes, but also because he wanted to help the school.
“It’s good to support the school; I like sports cars,” he said. “It’s exciting [and fun to win]. We’ll have a good time [and] I’m looking forward to it.”
The annual live auction brought both an opening and a closing to the fashion show.
