![“[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)
You open your eyes to stare at your reflection in your bedroom mirror. You smile, delighted with what you see: everything from your curled hair to your carefully selected high-heels is perfect. Your date is waiting in a car just outside; in fact, you are even on the ballot for queen.
This is what most girls envision when they dream about their senior prom night.
Many girls, however, cannot make these dreams a reality. Due to poor financial support, they are unable to purchase their perfect dress.
Enter The Princess Project, a charitable organization dedicated to supplying young girls with self-confidence by providing dresses and accessories for prom.
This year, the Upper School decided to help. For the past few weeks in Manzanita Hall, students had the chance to donate dresses to The Princess Project. Run by students Shannon Hong (9) and Sheridan Tobin (10), the school dress drive lasted for three weeks and ended on March 8.
“I stumbled upon this website through my volunteering organization, and I thought it would be a really wonderful organization that Harker could support,” Shannon said. “I think that Harker community can do a lot [to help]. It’s something that really promotes girls’ confidence in how beautiful they are.”
Sheridan echoed Shannon’s thoughts while also discussing the other merits of the organization.
“I think it’s a really great organization because it gives these girls that may not be able to otherwise afford a prom dress or a nice dress the opportunity to pick a dress that works for them,” Sheridan said. “It gives them something that’s all about them for awhile which they probably don’t get to experience all that often.”
Even though this was the first year that the Upper School has participated in The Princess Project, once the pair had the idea for the charity, it did not take long before others were onboard as well.
“I think it was an amazing way to make another girl happy,” Sharon Babu (11) said. “Even if it does seem small, it can really make someone smile for a night, and that’s what matters.”
Currently, the official number of dresses sits at slightly above 40. The dresses will go directly to The Princess Project headquarters over the weekend and then to various warehouses available in locations such as Silicon Valley, San Francisco, and San Diego.
“I think that this is something I would like to continue after this year,” Shannon said. “I think the project is really dependent on the volunteers they have. If you go to the website it says donations of ‘time, talent, and taffeta,’ which I think is really cute.”
On the whole, the pair felt that the project was well-handled. They also collectively indicated interest for getting this project to be a yearly charity event that will continue to grow within the school’s community.
