![Setter Emma Lee (9) sets the ball to the middle during the match against Pinewood on Sept. 12. “[I’m looking forward to] getting more skilled, learning more about my position and also becoming better friends with all of my teammates, Emma said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DSC_4917-2-1200x795.jpg)
![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasnt been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but Ive had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. Theres so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesnt exist, you can build it yourself, Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“Animation just clicked in a way. I had been interested in art, but that felt different. [Animation] felt like it had something behind it, whereas previous things felt surface level. I wasnt making that crazy of things, but just the process of doing it was much more enjoyable, Carter Chadwick (22) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screen-Shot-2022-08-16-at-9.44.08-AM-900x598.png)
![“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 its played such a major role in who Ive 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 Im [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)
![“[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)
![“Im 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 theres a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyones 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)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you arent going to get those championships if you arent 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)
![“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)
Students struggle with returning to school
Junior Helen Wu uses her phone in Main Hall after school. Main Hall is a popular hangout location for students.
Coming back to school from break can prove a difficult task for some students. Despite many things to look forward to returning to school, many students voiced their difficulty readjusting.
Many expressed needing to wake up early as one of their biggest challenges once break ended.
“I didn’t sleep very well last night because, for the other previous nights during break, I slept at like two or three,” senior Christina Liang said. “I wasn’t used to sleeping early, so I didn’t sleep that much. I went to bed at 12 but didn’t fall asleep until like three.”
Aside from sleep, students also felt the stress of catching up on projects due the first week back due to procrastination or lack of time over break. As Christina explained, projects are assigned before break are often due the first week back, but students procrastinate due to being exhausted.
Junior Patrick Lin, who visited colleges, participated in a math competition, and played video games over break, felt a large burden lifted from his shoulders because he was able to make great strides in his Mathematica project for his Differential Equations class.
“One of the major causes of my nervousness is now a lot less,” Patrick said.
Not all students started off their week on a high note like Patrick though. A female sophomore received her first detention today for forgetting to bring her Spanish textbook to school.
“This was my first detention, so I’m hoping it won’t be a trend,” she said. “I’ll try to be more responsible and bring my stuff to school.”
She also revealed that she is not looking forward to the rest of the week as her favorite TV shows will not be airing due to the Winter Olympics.
Spring Break will begin the week of April 7 and classes will resume on April 14.
Alex Jang, Student Life Editor for the TALON Yearbook, is a senior this year and has been a part of journalism for three years. In his free time, he enjoys...
