![Setter Emma Lee (9) sets the ball to the middle during the match against Pinewood on Sept. 12. “[I’m looking forward to] getting more skilled, learning more about my position and also becoming better friends with all of my teammates, Emma said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DSC_4917-2-1200x795.jpg)
![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasnt been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but Ive had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. Theres so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesnt exist, you can build it yourself, Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“Animation just clicked in a way. I had been interested in art, but that felt different. [Animation] felt like it had something behind it, whereas previous things felt surface level. I wasnt making that crazy of things, but just the process of doing it was much more enjoyable, Carter Chadwick (22) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screen-Shot-2022-08-16-at-9.44.08-AM-900x598.png)
![“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 its played such a major role in who Ive 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 Im [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)
![“[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)
![“Im 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 theres a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyones 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)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you arent going to get those championships if you arent 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)
![“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)
This week, continuing an annual tradition, Red Cross Club is holding a fundraiser and a blood drive to raise awareness and donations for Red Cross International.
Club members are selling baked goods throughout the week and hosted a blood drive today during long lunch. All money collected will be donated to the Red Cross to fund relief efforts in areas hit by disasters such as Hurricane Sandy last fall.
Like most club weeks, Red Cross Week has usually had two objectives: raising money and creating awareness in the student body. This year, though, the club has focused more on donations, advertising the bake sale and creating incentives to sign up for the blood drive by promising to slime the ASB student council.
“Normally we try to focus on having a different event each day of the week, but this year we centered the week around the blood drive,” said secretary and activities coordinator-in-training Sabrina Sidhu (10). “It was also really heartwarming to see so many students who couldn’t donate blood supporting our cause by buying at our bake sale.”
Some members have mixed feelings about the success of this year’s Red Cross Week.
“I don’t think this year’s club week has been as good compared to last year’s, when we did disaster preparedness events like an earthquake simulation with a graham cracker tower,” co-events coordinator Alan Soetikno (12) said.
However, Alan expressed optimism for the fundraiser and the student body’s willingness to donate blood.
Blood donations were organized by representatives of Blood Centers of the Pacific (BCP), a nonprofit organization that provides needed blood to hospitals throughout Northern California.
Junior Sahithya Prakash chose to donate blood because she wanted to give back to the community.
“After hearing that one person could save three lives [by donating], I felt that taking one hour out of my day was the least I could do,” she said.
Red Cross Club has worked with BCP in the past as well as the Silicon Valley chapter of the Red Cross in a variety of volunteering activities, including “gift wrapping during the holiday season, attending a refugee simulation, and [teaching] basic aid classes to Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts on weekends,” according to Sabrina.
The club’s service-oriented approach separates it from other similar clubs such as Medical Club, which focus on supporting students’ medical interests.
