![“[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)
As the season came to an end, the eight spring sports honored the graduating members at senior night.
“[Senior Nights] are always exciting because they are a culmination of hard work as we talk about all the time,” Butch Keller said. “It’s a special time for the players and parents, and any time we can celebrate that, it’s something special.”
Baseball senior night recognized Jacob Hoffman, Drew Goldstein, and Kevin Cali prior to their final home game against Sacred Heart Preparatory. Despite the team’s loss 15-2, members celebrated its graduating players with pizza, cake, and roses after the game.
The softball team honored seniors Alison Rugar and Ashley Del Alto at its senior night last Thursday. According to the coaches, the team had a strong year thanks to Alison and Ashley, finishing with a league record of 11-1. They will proceed to the first round of CCS on Wednesday, May 15.
Celebrating its nine seniors, the girls’ lacrosse team played rival Notre Dame at its senior night. The graduating players are Adrienne Mendel, Wendy Shwe, Michelle Douglas, Jessica Son, Samantha Hoffman, Apricot Tang, Tara Rezvani, and Amy Gendotti.
Boys’ tennis recognized its five seniors, Justin Yang, Timothy Luong, Rahul Desirazu, Josh Bollar, and Pranav Beda at its final match against Menlo School. Although they lost, the team celebrated a strong season and the remaining members looked ahead to the next season.
Track and field, swimming, boys’ volleyball, and boys’ golf also celebrated as the season and school year came to a close. The boys’ volleyball and golf teams then proceeded to CCS matches, while individuals from the track and field team and the swimming team also qualified for further competition in CCS.
