![“[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)
Bells jangled as members of Guy’s Gig ran around the gym, weaving through the throng of students. Stations set up with eye catching posters, bright lights, bubbles, and candy lined the walls. Students of all grades gathered together, smiles on their faces, relishing in the excitement of all the opportunities around them during the annual club fair today.
This year, many new clubs were formed, bringing the number of clubs to a total of fifty seven. There were so many clubs that, for the first time, tables had to be set out into the quad in order to accommodate all of them.
Of the many new clubs, some that attracted many members were the Technology Student Association (TSA), Make a Birthday Wish Club, Innovation Club, and Amnesty International Club. Each of these clubs set up a poster board in the gym alongside more established clubs to inform students about what the club was about as well as the purpose of the club.
TSA allows students to compete in technology related events, thus promoting interest in science, technology, engineering, and math. This club, a “techy version of DECA,” has high hopes to help students develop their talents and pursue national awards.
“Besides being a really good way to take the initiative in promoting STEM, we hope to expand the club and have people place in the statewide and national competitions,” TSA president Sophia Luo (10) said.
The high flying balloons and bright Make a Birthday Wish poster attracted many new members to join. Their purpose is to throw the best possible birthday parties for less fortunate children who may not receive much attention on their special day.
“Birthday parties are a huge deal for almost everyone, especially kids, and being responsible for making something possible that would not have happened without this organization is amazing and I’m really happy to be a part of it, club officer Darby Millard (11) said.
Another sight in the gym was the bright blue poster and stack of candy of Innovation club, a new club that aims to foster the spirit of innovation and invention. The club members form teams and use creativity to produce a marketable product that tackles real world issues. They aim to win Inventeams again, so Harker can get the grant to continue receiving research funding.
“What prompted me to start this club was that no one uses creativity anymore to tackle anything and this is actual science, ” club president Justin Young (12) said.
The The Amnesty International Club attracted many members with its odoriferous assortment of baked goods. The purpose of this club is to spread awareness about human rights issues around the world through the International Amnesty Organization. This club will hold one fundraiser later this year and the funds will be donated to a needy human rights cause.
“I started this club to basically achieve these goals and contribute to the fight against human rights abuse, we here take this for granted and its very frustrating to realize that most people don’t have the same opportunities as us,” club co-president Shreya Sunkara (10) said.
The addition of many new clubs presented a much broader range of opportunities for students of all grades. For those who were unable to attend this event, Student Activities coordinator, Kerry Enzensperger, sent out a list of all the clubs, most of which have pages on Athena2 with more information.
