![“[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)
Sophomores were first introduced to the Eagle Buddies program during the class meeting on Tuesday, when they wrote letters to their new friends at the Lower School.
Eagle Buddies, a program created by Head of Upper School Butch Keller, history teacher Carol Zink, and class of 2017 dean Jeffrey Draper, is designed to foster a greater sense of community between the students and teachers of the different campuses, as well as to give Upper School students the opportunity to be role models.
The sophomores are the fourth grade to join the program, as the graduated class of 2013 was the first to participate in the buddy system.
Eagle Buddies started out as a way for students to interact with their lower school buddies, via activities such as eating lunch, reading books, and spending time with each other at Homecoming or the annual family and alumni picnic. One of the three eagle buddies events each year is for community service, when everyone donates to charity to help out the community.
According to Zink, most students at both the Upper School and Lower School campuses enjoy the events, have fun, and establish a connection with their new buddies. Her favorite memory from the program occurred during pajama day, the community service event for sophomores.
“On Pajama day, Mr. Keller sat on stage in his bathrobe, and he read a story, and everyone got into it including the big kids, which was really nice to see. And then, almost spontaneously, the little kids clambered into the big kids’ laps, and they read stories to each other,” she said. “I’m usually a very stoic person, but I cried, because it was just so sweet. High school kids try to be cool, and all of that just fell away. It was very heartwarming to see little buddies nestled in the laps of big buddies.”
Leon Chin (11) said that he enjoys the entire program, not only because he meets younger students, but also because it helps him relax.
“I like how I get to spend time with Lower School students and it is also really relaxing during different times of the year, and its nice to hang out with someone you have a bond with,” he said.
Sophomore Aarti Kheskani is looking forward to meeting her new buddy, and spending time at school to play games with the younger students.
“I’m really excited cause I love little kids and I think it will be really fun to just spend time with them, play games, and just do stuff I wouldn’t normally do,” she said. “I remember last year there were clowns on campus for them, and face painting, so I’m excited for that.”
Seniors will be meeting their buddies for the first time this year on September 19th. Sophomores and juniors will be meeting their buddies later in the year, on October 3rd and November 22nd respectively.
