![“[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)
Although the seniors were officially done with their four years of high school as of graduation on May 25, many of them chose to come to school whether it was to simply visit friends or finish signing yearbooks.
Since many of his friends at the Upper School are underclassmen, Andre Tran (12) felt the need to come visit them one last time. He signed a couple more yearbooks while on the campus.
“I probably won’t see them again until either school starts next year or when I come to visit Harker,” he said. “It’s just to say goodbye, get to see them one last time before I get to see them again.”
Though senior Alan Soetikno also signed his last few yearbooks when he came to visit, he brought his well-known “Alan cookies” to school to share as well.
“Well, I baked fourteen 3- ounce cookies and I really wanted to give them to my friends,” he said.
Senior Tiphaine Delepine had plans to eat lunch with the senior student council at school, and she decided to come early to get a few signatures in her friends’ yearbooks.
Though some students felt strange seeing the seniors, who are now alumni, on campus, others enjoyed seeing familiar faces one last time.
“It’s nice seeing them around campus,” Nikita Parulkar (10) said. “I hope they will come and visit us next year too since I will definitely miss them.”
Similarly, some students, such as Justin Yen (10), had not quite gotten used to walking around school without seeing some of their senior friends who have already graduated.
“It hasn’t really sunk in for anyone that the seniors have graduated,” he said. “Having them come back during our final week just makes the letting go easier, otherwise, it would be really painful.”
The school year next fall will begin with matriculation on August 26.
