![“[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 Students for Charitable Causes (SFCC) club has begun its annual drive to raise money for the charity Embrace.
With bins placed around campus, the club hopes to collect as many used items as it can from students and faculty. In two weeks, the club plans to hold a garage sale to sell the collected donations. All proceeds will benefit Embrace, an organization that develops and creates affordable infant warmers for premature children in third world countries.
SFCC was founded five years ago and has organized a drive every year.
“SFCC prides itself in not directly taking money from the student body but rather selling donated goods and then donating that money,” Sophia Shatas (10) said.
The club has received various items, from couches to designer purses to full sets of drawers.
Sophomore Jeton Gutierrez-Bujari described some of the other drives the club held in the past, including a collection to aid children at an orphanage.
“I really liked the drive because we not only were able to collect items and sell them but we also got Google to pitch in laptops because we were supporting an orphanage,” he said. “We got outside help, so that was a pretty big deal for us.”
This year’s drive is unique since, in addition to a garage sale, SFCC is selling greeting cards to raise money. These cards have been donated by one of club president Glenn Reddy’s (10) friends. The club has raised $500 in card sales alone.
Some of the club members view the fundraiser very optimistically. Sophomore Suzy Lou thought that any amount would be beneficial and much appreciated.
“I think that whatever money we raise will be definitely used for a good cause because it’s really needed,” she said.
After the success last year, the club has high hopes for the drive, yet already faces some obstacles.
“Last year, we made just over $2,000, so we’re hoping for something like that,” Jeremy Binkley (10) said. “The only problem is that this year, because of APs, it’s hard to get announcements out because there are no school meetings.”
As written on posters displayed on campus, the drive started on May 6 and will end on May 17.
![Winged Post Editor-in-Chief Katerina Matta and Managing Editor Young Min were selected as first place winners from a pool of around 2,000 students. “This page [shows] how much we paid attention to detail and how much we pushed ourselves to ensure the best quality that we could,” Young said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_4254-900x1200.jpeg)
