![“[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)
Candidates for the junior class student council gave speeches to their peers yesterday and today.
Contenders include Kevin Mohanram and Kenneth Zhang for Spirit Coordinator; Samir Chaudhry, Krish Sanghi, and Adithram Rengaramchandran for Treasurer; Adarsh Battu, Ravi Bhandia, Jerry Shen, and Shreyas Parthasarathy for Secretary; Kilian Burke, Julia Fink, Sravan Rajathilak, and Dora Tzeng for Vice President; Wei Wei Buchsteiner and Jithin Vellian for President.
The candidates did not run against current junior officers, Vincent Lin, Rohith Bhethanabotla, Sahithya Prakash, and Arjun Goyal, who will serve as next year’s ASB council.
Most juniors expressed their desire for a class council that will motivate them to participate more during spirit events.
“I think the number one thing is leading our class in spirit and getting us motivated,” Renu Singh (11) said. “A good candidate is a person who will get the class doing things and someone that people will follow.”
Recognizing his classmates’ need for an enthusiastic officer, presidential candidate Jithin emphasized in his light-hearted speech that he could “lead the class to victory” and vowed to “never stop talking for [the] class.”
Because candidates expressed similar goals such as customizing the sledge and making sure that 2014’s senior gift is special, many juniors felt that voting will be a difficult process mainly because they are unsure of who has the right intentions for their class.
“There were a lot of candidates, and it was hard to tell who really had our class’ best interest in mind instead of other personal reasons,” Srikar Pyda (11) said. “But, I am sure that whoever ends up winning will do just that.”
Elections for the 2013-2014 senior class student council will be held tomorrow in the journalism room during both lunches.
