![“[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)
Varsity Girls’ Basketball Defeats Oceana 58-49
Regina Chen (12) looks for a way to get across the court amid a sea of opponents. The team won their first round of CCS playoffs 58-49.
The Varsity girls’ basketball team emerged victorious as it soared to a 58 to 49 win against Oceana High School tonight in the first round of CCS Playoffs.
Scoring a lay-up within the first two minutes, co-captain Nithya Vemireddy (12) led the team to a strong start. The Varsity girls maintained their lead throughout the rest of the game, with the first and third quarters bringing in 21 and 17 points, respectively.
“Our team talk [during halftime] got us really focused and determined to prove that we belonged in playoffs,” Shreya Basu (11) said. “The whole team felt really pumped, motivated, and invested in the game. You could see that people were playing their hardest.”
Nithya totalled 26 points against Oceana, followed by and Jordan and Regina Chen (12), each scoring 13.
“I think we’ll see a lot of really good teams, and it’ll be good experience for us if we continue to advance,” Jordan Thompson (9) said.
The Eagles advanced in the tournament to play Immaculate Conception Academy tomorrow at 7 p.m. Last year, the Varsity girls qualified to the second round of Playoffs before losing to Monte Vista Christian.
Tiara Bhatacharya is the Opinion editor for Harker Aquila. She is a senior and has been part of the journalism program since her sophomore year. Her favorite...
Kacey Fang (12) is the Managing Editor for The Winged Post. She has been part of the journalism program since freshman year and served as Features Editor...