![“[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)
The ASB has held true to its promise to set up a vending machine for students to use throughout the school day.
The idea of creating a vending machine was pitched by ASB earlier in the year but was finally carried out today, April 8. Thanks to student council and the kitchen staff, students are able to buy wraps and other items at a very low price near the barbeque grill.
Rather than offering junk food, the vending machine provides healthy snacks that students can access throughout the day. Options range from pistachios and Cliff Bars to Gatorade to Izze Sparkling Juices and turkey wraps.
Students appreciate the wide range of wholesome food compared to the less healthy alternatives found at the snack bar. Junior Pooja Chirala finds that the vending machine is much more “appropriate” and prefers it to the snack bar due to its “larger variety of healthy food.”
Other students, however, believe that not all of the food available from the vending machine are nutritious.
“I feel like the vending machine offers healthier options, […] but not as healthy as could be, “ Ajay Chitkara (10) said. “For example, the Kern’s Mango Juice can contains the same amount of sugar […] as a regular Coke can. Besides a couple of options, the others are healthy, appetizing, and awesome.”
ASB President Raghav Sethia (12) explained that past issues with a vending machine led to problems with re-launching the project.
“Basically, the issue with the vending machines in the past was that they were vandalized by non Harker students during athletic events and over the weekend [and] there weren’t enough people purchasing items so it led to a loss of money,” he said.
Raghav hopes that keeping the vending machines “behind closed doors” will inhibit vandalism, allowing for further utilization.
Vending machine prices range from 75 cents to $2 allowing students to buy healthy food at a cheap price.
![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)
