![“[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)
House Student STEM App challenge seeks applicants
eshoo.house.gov
Contestants of the House Student STEM App Challenge must submit their Apps and corresponding packages by April 30.
The 18th Congressional District initiated the ongoing House Student App Challenge as a part of the first annual Congressional Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Academic Competition on Feb. 1.
To participate, students must formulate an app for mobiles, laptops, or tablets, and upload either a YouTube or VIMEO video describing the fundamentals of the app by April 30.
Junior Suraya Shivji (11) decided to take part in the challenge upon reading about it in the school newspaper, The Winged Post.
Qualifications include those who are at least 13 years old as of Feb. 1, 2014 and who either attend or are eligible to attend public school. Students may apply in teams of up to four members, at least two of whom meet the previous conditions specified.
The challenge requires a two step registration: students must first register for the House Student App Challenge to confirm eligibility before registering at the official site of the challenge to officially submit their application.
All submissions will be judged based on the programming skills, implementation, and quality of idea. A board of qualified individuals will assess the submitted apps and select one from every participating district to display on the U.S. House of Representatives’ webpage and the U.S. Capitol array. An awards ceremony for the congressional district winners will follow this summer.
“This is a great opportunity for high school students because a lot of these hackathons in the Bay Area are more tailored toward college students,” David Lin (11) said.
For more information and additional tips, visit www.eshoo.house.gov.
Mariam Sulakian is the Features Editor of Harker Aquila. She has been a member of the journalism program for four years and appreciates the opportunities...