![“[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)
Beaming as she accepted the seal envelope containing her achievements on Monday, April 29, junior Connie Li’s work had finally paid off as her essay won first place in the First Freedom Student Competition.
The First Freedom Student Competition is a national essay and video contest offered to ninth through 12th grades, which covers topics such as religious freedom, the First Amendment, and the relevance of freedom in today’s society.
Out of 1,842 students who come from America to Kenya to Naples, Connie placed first and won a $2,500 cash prize. This year’s prompt was to examine a letter George Washington wrote to a leader of a Jewish congregation in Rhode Island in 1790.
Connie first gained interest in the competition after seeing a link posted on the HHMS bulletin board.
“I’d never before seen an essay competition centered around history, specifically religious freedom, which also happens to be a topic I’ve developed strong ideas about,” she said.
When asked why she chose this topic, Connie stated that due to recent news such as the Sikh temple shooting in Wisconsin, she felt that a majority of people are ignorant about the topic of civil rights in general.
“I’m lucky to have been born and raised in an accepting environment, but I know there are so many other in this country who don’t have the same sort of security,” she said.
Connie expressed gratitude for history teacher Damon Halback, who helped her “outline main points, explore different directions, and clarify existing ideas.” Halback was also the one who presented Connie with her award during school meeting on Monday.
“I would be lying if I said I would’ve won without him,” Connie said.
In her essay, Connie concluded that Washington’s wording implied “religious freedom was not a privilege to be granted, but a right not to be denied,” which related to how she felt about expression in modern society today.
“No one can justifiably say they have the right to deny others their right to hold any religious belief, especially if it’s just because it’s unfamiliar or different. Ignorance is so simple and can be so easily corrected, yet today it still causes tragedies like the Oak Creek shooting,” she said.
Connie’s essay has been released on the First Freedom website and can be read here.
![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)
