![“[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)
In preparation for their trip to Tanzania in July, 11 students have created three distinct fundraising projects to collect money, stationery, glasses, and saline solution for members of the Maasai Tribe.
The money will be used to buy textbooks, which along with the stationery will be donated to a Tanzanian school the students are visiting.
“These children have the exact same potential as we do; they just don’t have the same resources,” said Namrata Vakkalagadda (11), one of the students traveling. “I feel like we have to give them the resources they need to fulfill their potential with the textbooks.”
At the Research Symposium, students traveling to Tanzania sold snacks to visitors in order to raise money. Each Swahili textbook costs around $4.
“When I was there last year, I was shocked by the conditions in which the students learned,” chaperone Anita Chetty said. “One classroom holds 150 students, and so I asked them what their greatest need was. They said it was textbooks; they just didn’t have enough.”
Additionally, members of the community can donate extra prescription glasses in the boxes placed at Shah office, Main office, and the Dobbins office. While in Tanzania, the students will test the eyes of local Maasai people and give them glasses to help correct their vision. According to Chetty, the Maasai are well known for the intricate bead work they do, often in dark light, which has impacted the eyes of many.
“[I have been] raising funds for the glasses drive and actually getting glasses from manufacturers and Costco and my optometrist,” said Shazdeh Hussain (11), another student traveling to Tanzania. “We have 100 pairs now, and we hope to get 100 more.”
A final fundraising effort will focus on collecting stationery including pens, pencils, paper, erasers, or any other supply that benefits an elementary school. The students traveling to Tanzania hope to deliver the supplies to these younger students in order the give them resources they need to learn.
So far, the students have collected about $200 which will buy approximately 50 textbooks. According to Chetty, they hope to raise $500 which will allow them to buy a classroom set of textbooks. In addition, they have collected three boxes of glasses, two of which were donated by Costco.
“Because we are a community, a very altruistic community, people will remember that we are going incredibly far away and know that they will have a way to reach these youngsters and their families in a little remote village in Tanzania,” Chetty said.
The group will continue fundraising until the end of the school year.
