![“[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)
Medical Club visits an Intuitive Surgical Unit
Students in the medical club pose for a picture at Intuitive Surgical, Inc. These students attended a field trip on Saturday to view the company’s surgical robot
Twenty Medical Club members visited an open house on Saturday at Intuitive Surgical, Inc., a biomedical company that is in the process of creating a robotic surgical system.
The company’s most recent development is the Da Vinci surgical robot, which allows surgeons to perform minimally invasive procedures remotely. When using this system to perform surgeries, the surgeon clutches the handles of a machine and guides those handles, which correspond to robotic instruments. During the open house on Saturday, students had the chance to use this technology in various demo settings.
“The demo was an amazing hands-on experience that allowed me to see what it was like in the shoes of the surgeon,” Malvika Khanna (10) said. “Through this trip, I saw the engineering side of medicine and not just the biology.”
In addition to using the latest technology in the medical field, students watched a video of a surgery performed with the Da Vinci system. After an enthusiastic response from the club members, the club’s officers decided to hold a screening of this video during one of their club meetings for all the club members to see.
“Following the suggestion of our club members, we will be screening parts of this surgical video during one of our meetings so that the members who did not go on the trip can see what we learned,” Zina Jawadi (12) said.
After testing the machinery, the club members had the opportunity to listen to three lectures given by teams involved in the creation of the Da Vinci product. The engineering, design, and marketing teams talked to students about their initial ideas behind building a robotic system for surgeries. Throughout the discussions, the presenters emphasized the goal of having a robot conducted surgery.
“The main benefit of using the Da Vinci system is the patient’s experience because a patient’s length of stay is drastically reduced since they do not have large incisions and the robotic system makes surgery easier for the person performing it,” said Kayle Keifer Anderson, one of the guides at the company.
The medical club was one of the only organizations that attended this open house with a focus on the surgical rather than the robotic aspect. While the club fosters many discussions about the field of medicine and surgery, club President Zina Jawadi thought this trip would be beneficial to the club’s focus.
“The attendees will have a better feel for the surgical experience and the future of medical science through this trip. We plan on incorporating a discussion about the techniques we learned in our meetings,” Zina said.
Zina plans on increasing the number of trips the club will take and guest speakers the club will host this year after her success with this trip. She will hold a meeting on Oct. 30 to discuss the trip with other club members and view the video presented at the open house.
Ayushi Gautam (12) is the Managing Editor of Harker Aquila. She has been a part of the journalism program since her freshman year. She was the Social Media...