![“[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)
Keller’s Korner – 1/24
Sports games were a major part of last week, including basketball games, wrestling matches, and the annual Kicks Against Cancer Fundraiser.
Kicks Against Cancer is one of my favorite events because the students generate all the enthusiasm, and I know they’re guided by adults, but it’s good to see that most of the work is done and it is enthusiastically done especially by the girls’ soccer team. I would like to take my hat off to them for all the work that they do. This week we’re focusing on wrestling and girls’ basketball and having been to the latest wrestling match and seeing how hard the wrestlers work over break and every single day it’s nice to see some of those rewards pay off in the wrestling matches. The girls’ basketball team works so hard; it’s so fun to watch them play.
Both the Varsity boys’ and girls’ soccer teams won their Kicks Against Cancer soccer games. The boys beat Pinewood 6-0, and the girls won 5-0 against their opponent Summit Preparatory High School. The teams worked to raise money by selling shirts, wristbands, hair ties, hats, and raffle tickets. All proceeds have been donated to Camp Okizu to support children with cancer and their families.
Although the wrestling team lost overall to Santa Clara High, Annirudh Ankola (11) won his individual match, and Phil Kendall (9) won by forfeit. The team will celebrate its seniors Ravi Bhandia, Darian Edvalson, Arjun Kumar, and Vincent Lin in the match next Thursday against Los Altos High School.
Girls’ basketball lost to King’s Academy and Castilleja last week, 31-37 and 23-46 respectively. However, the girls hope to turn that around at their Senior Night against Crystal Springs Uplands on Jan. 31.
Alyssa Amick (12) is the Co- Editor in Chief of Harker Aquila. She has been part of the journalism program since her freshman year. Her favorite part of...