![“[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)
Five students selected for Honor Choir
Members of the Upper School Choir sing at a concert last spring. The five students selected to perform in the Honor Choir felt that participating in the Upper School Choirs prepared them well for this opportunity.
The American Choral Directors Association selected five Upper School students to participate in the Coastal Region Honor Choir.
Four students, Simran Singh (11), Sahana Narayan (10), Maya Nandakumar (11), and Katie Chung (10) were named to the women’s choir. Ishanya Anthapur (11) was named to the mixed choir.
“They love to perform, not that that’s unique because we have a lot of kids here at Harker who love to perform,” Susan Nace, Upper School Choir Director said. “[These students] just decided that they’re going to take the next step.”
Each student faced two judges, singing a song that was Italian, arya, or classical. The students went on to sight-singing and sang back a couple of notes played on the piano to display their ability to match pitch. The whole process lasted about 15 minutes.
While the students were auditioning individually for their spots in the National Honor Choir and did not compete directly, some students did feel a bit of the stress and tension of competition.
“It was about 15 minutes, a kind of nervous 15 minutes. But when I was done, I felt pretty good about what I had done,” Ishanya said. “There was definitely a little bit of competition, it was kind of awkward, because I thought I had done really well while others didn’t think that. But we all got in so it all turned out fine.”
The students felt that singing in the Upper School choir has helped them expand their skillset and are happy to explore the performing arts outside of school.
“I’m really excited to learn the fantastic repertoire and improve as a performer,” Sahana said. It’s such an incredible opportunity to have the chance to pursue our passion, so I’m extremely grateful that we were nominated.”
The five students auditioned in late September for the state level of the competition and wait to hear the results.
“I always feel blessed, whether or not my students go ahead and take these challenges,” Susan Nace said. “I’m just lucky to be teaching at an incredible place with all these incredible students. Its not just these kids, but all these kids that I teach.”
Roshni Pankhaniya is the Sports Editor of the Winged Post. She is a senior and has been previously been a reporter and the Sports Editor for Harker Aquila....
Vasudha Rengarajan is the Editor-in-Chief of Harker Aquila. As former Features editor and Sports editor for Aquila and a reporter for The Winged Post,...