![“[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)
Scholastic Art and Writing Awards announced
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards regional winners were announced last Thursday. Gold Key Winners proceed to the national competition to be judged.
The Scholastic Art and Writing Award regional winners were announced last Thursday, Jan 30.
The Awards, established in 1923, is one of the most prestigious recognition programs for young writers and artists in the country.
“It awards a level of creativity that’s evaluated on a national scope, and we’ve had people from both fields win in a bunch of different categories,” said Lauri Vaughan, librarian at the Upper School. “I’m glad that kids started getting into it at Harker a few years back, because we all know we’ve got some really talented writers, so it’s a big deal to get that thing.”
Awards range from Gold Key to Honorable Mention at the regional level. All of the participants were honored to have been recognized for the awards.
Jerry Shen (12) won a Gold Key, Silver Key, and an Honorable Mention award for visual arts in the mixed media category.
“I have to say that I’m pretty surprised that I won, given there’s so many qualified artists out there,” Jerry said. “I haven’t really been doing art for too long, but I was pretty happy that I won, more works than I thought I would.”
Maya Nandakumar (11) received a Silver Key in the personal essay category, and an Honorable Mention for flash fiction.
“It was overwhelming; I felt really honored and it was kind of amazing just to be recognized,” she said. “It was a new, more personal feeling; it was sort of like putting your life’s story on paper and getting an award for it.”
Albert Chu (12) was excited to have won, but felt that the juries had switched his two awards. Albert was awarded a Gold Key in the science category/fantasy and a Silver Key for his short story.
“I was happy. I felt that I was actually kind of surprised because the work I didn’t like as much won gold, whereas the one I worked harder on won silver,” he said.
Drawing, Advanced Drawing, and AP Studio Art teacher Pilar Aguero-Esparza shared her insights regarding the Awards.
“The Scholastic Art Awards is an opportunity for students to be able to put their works out to the public, but also be considered in terms of their merit, which is a scary thing for students. Artists do work that they care about,” she noted.
Aguero-Esparza also emphasized that, while it is important for students to gain recognition for their work, competitions like the Awards also have other benefits.
“It is also real life experience of what artists go through in the real world. If [students] are interested in pursuing art they do have to get used to putting themselves out there, and taking a chance,” she said. “I encourage students to do it. It’s a good thing for students to do as a practical experience.”
Cindy Liu (11) won eight Gold Keys and seven Silver Keys for her photography, as well as two Gold Keys for a drawing and a painting, respectively.
“It was totally unexpected. Before I used to submit a lot too, but I only won a few,” she said. “This year it was a majority of the ones I submitted. It motivates me to keep taking photos.”
The California regional award winners’ work will be showcased at an exhibition at University of the Pacific in Stockton from Feb. 24 to 28. The day after, a ceremony will be held to honor the award winners.
Gold Keys from each state proceed to be judged on a national level; national medalists will be notified on March 17. Those that prevail in the finals will pick up their awards in Carnegie Hall late in the semester.
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COMPLETE LIST OF HARKER WINNERS:
Gold Key in visual art: Matthew Ho (11), Doreene Kang (10), Shay Lari-Hosain (10), Cindy Liu (11), Camille Piazza (12), Archana Podury (11), Jerry Shen (12), Nephele Troullinos (11)
Silver Key in visual art: Kianna Bisla (12), Kacey Fang (11), Monika Lee (12), Cindy Liu (11), Megan Prakash (12), Jerry Shen (12), Menghua “Rachel” Wu (11)
Honorable Mention in visual art: Elizabeth Bettencourt (11), Shay Lari-Hosain (10), Cindy Liu (11), Madhuri Nori (11), Jerry Shen (12), Menghua “Rachel” Wu (11)
Gold Key in writing: Albert Chu (11), Kacey Fang (11), Connie Li (12), Suzy Lou (11), Apoorva Rangan (11), Meilan Steimle (9)
Silver Key in writing: Eric Cheung (11), Albert Chu (11), Arden Hu (11), Vineet Kosaraju (10), Connie Li (12), Suzy Lou (11), Maya Nandakumar (11), Sahana Narayanan (10), Apoorva Rangan (11), Meilan Steimle (9), Samyukta Yagati (11)
Honorable Mention in writing: Stephanie Chen (12), Kacey Fang (11), Juhi Gupta (11), Arden Hu (11), Zina Jawadi (12), Allison Kiang (11), Vineet Kosaraju (10), Cheryl Liu (11), Maya Nandakumar (11), Sahana Narayanan (10), Manthra Panchapakesan (11), Apoorva Rangan (11), Meilan Steimle (9), Mariam Sulakian (11), Samyukta Yagati (11), Leo Yu (11)
Shay Lari-Hosain (12) is the Editor-in-Chief and co-founder of Wingspan Magazine. Shay has interviewed 2013 Nobel Laureates, authors like Khaled Hosseini...