![“[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)
Build season kicks off
Last year, the team worked on incorporating lights as a stylistic addition to their robot. This year’s competition, “Aerial Assist” will take place March 7 to 9.
The Robotics team kicked off the new year with build, an intensive six-week period where they design and build a robot that meets challenge requirements.
The climax of the Robotics season hits immediately after the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition Committee holds KickOff, an event where the FIRST committee unveils the year’s challenge.
This year’s challenge, “Aerial Assist,” is a modified combination of basketball and volleyball, except played with a 2-foot ball.The goal is to design a robot capable of shooting and catching balls, as well as blocking opposing teams from scoring.
Five days into season, the team has already prototyped many of their designs and is a few days ahead of their schedules plan.
“A new energy is translating in our build season; we are getting so much work done efficiently and well. We already have some prototypes finished,” Executive President Sarika Bajaj (12) said.
For the next five and half weeks, members of the team will spend hours in the Robotics lab after school and even on weekends designing and building the robot under the supervision of parent volunteers and mentor Eric Nelson.
The team hopes that the problems leadership faced last year to maintain order and complete projects can be avoided this season.
“We had a very rough year last year with multiple leadership and management issues, and the team suffered because of it,” Sarika said. “However, this year the team has bonded once again, and we are rediscovering the passion that kept us here in the first place.
Besides building and winning competitions, members view participation in Robotics in a larger context, one that provides them with skills to assist them in the real world.
“The capabilities and knowledge of the team members astound me everyday and I am proud of the preparation Robotics provides for hopeful engineers and am comfortable claiming that we succeed in preparing the students for the real world,” Operational President Sophia Shatas (11) said.
Harker Team 1072 will have its first competition at the Central Valley Regional held at Madera South High School on March 7 to 9.
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....