![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 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)
![“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 wasn't 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 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)
![“[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)
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![“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)
In a Nutshell: No bake cheesecake
A beautiful cheesecake base to top with anything your heart desires. All without the effort of using an oven.
Recipe (Inspired by Debbie Clark from Allrecipes):
Notes
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Difficulty: Easy
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Length: Short (except for the waiting time)
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Keep in mind: Patience is gold. And the cinnamon makes a huge difference in the crust.
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Why we made it: No oven needed? Delicious graham crackers? Cheesecake?
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Why you should make it: Cheesecake…
Ingredients
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3/2 cups crushed graham cracker (about 9 full graham crackers) (crust)
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⅓ cup melted butter (crust)
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½ tsp ground cinnamon (crust)
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⅓ cup white sugar
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⅓ cup brown sugar (packed)
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1 pint heavy cream (2 cups)
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1 tsp vanilla extract
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2 tsp lemon juice
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2 (8 oz.) packages of cream cheese
Equipment
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Electric mixer (or just a lot of elbow grease and arm muscle)
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Blender (optional)
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Circular pan or pie pan (more convenient if it has a removable bottom)
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Spatula
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Some sort of ramekin or cup or bowl (just to compress the graham cracker crust)
Grab nine of your favorite graham crackers (we used Honey Maid) and either blend until crumbly it resembles sand (air on the chunky side instead of the powdery side). You can also achieve the same result by placing your crackers into a big ziploc bag and whacking it with a rolling pin.
Melt the butter and mix with your graham crackers.
Next, add the cinnamon (you can technically skip this step, but trust us when we say it takes the cheesecake to a whole new level)
When your crust mixture resembles wet sand, pack it into the bottom of a circular baking dish. (Tip: if you don’t have a springform pan with a removable bottom, then you can do what we did and line the pan with foil or parchment paper for easy removal)
Onto the filling! This part literally cannot be easier: whip your cream cheese and lemon juice until it becomes nice and light. Then add your whipping cream and vanilla and whip until the batter starts to thicken. At that time, slowly add your sugar. What you should have is a smooth, thick, rich batter.
Batter up! Pour your cream cheese mixture into your now-set crust.
Smooth the batter out with a spatula and set your cheesecake in the fridge overnight (yes, overnight, not one or two hours).
Pop your cheesecake out of the pan after setting (or in our case, lift the cheesecake out carefully). Top with whatever you desire and….
That’s no-bake cheesecake, in a nutshell!
Fred Chang (12) is the Managing Editor of the TALON Yearbook and co-creator of In a Nutshell. Her positions on yearbook were reporter, Copy Editor, and...
Priscilla Pan is the features editor for the Winged Post and co-creator of In a Nutshell. She is a senior and has been part of the journalism program for...