![“[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)
School Meeting Recap – 3/31
The 9th annual Research Symposium was held on campus on Saturday, March 29. Over 450 people were in attendance for the event, which included displays of students’ projects, featured speakers, and corporate exhibitions.
CareerConnect will be host final career panel in the faculty dining room on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. The panel will focus on law and will feature two panelists, Fabio Marino and Ann Nguyen.
Robotics won an entrepreneurship award for the first time in ten years at a tournament in Madera two weeks ago. The team will attend its second competition at San Jose State University this weekend.
Students Maya Nandakumar (11), Ishanya Anthrapur (11), and Simran Singh (11) took part in the All-State choir performance in Sacramento last weekend. They have qualified for the national competition, which will take place in Nashville during the fall.
Due to damage to a pawn from the chess set, pieces had been temporarily removed while being repaired. If pieces are harmed in the future, students are encouraged to report the damage to either the Dobbins office or Chess club Advisor Anthony Silk.
Debate students Steven Wang (11), Rohith Kuditipudi (11), Lisa Liu (10), Kenny Zhang (12), and Andy Wang (12) have all qualified for the state tournament. Several students will also compete at the national level this June.
Soccer club will host a champions’ league event and will distribute signup sheets at lunch.
Mary Beth Tinker will visit the campus as part of her Tinker Tour on Friday in a school-wide assembly organized by the journalism department to discuss student rights and the first amendment. The assembly will also include Frank LoMonte, Executive Director of the Student Press Law Center, and Karen Korematsu, daughter of Fred Korematsu.
Eagle update: Boys’ golf defeated Sacred Heart Prep 191-194 and is currently undefeated and ranked first in the league. Boys’ volleyball defeated Lynbrook once and Eastside College Prep twice last week. Senior Claudia Tischler and freshman Niki Iyer won their races at the track and field league meet held last Wednesday. Girls’ swimming defeated Kings Academy while boys’ swimming lost last week. Girls’ softball won 16-4 over Andrew Hill and will play Cupertino tomorrow. Baseball lost 8-7 to Priory and travel to Livermore Valley Preparatory on Wednesday.
There will be a spirit competition on Wednesday called “knockout.” The event requires three boys and three girls from each grade.
After the ASB elections this Wednesday, students must visit their Recreate Reading groups. Locations are posted in Manzanita Hall and attendance will be taken.
Maya Jeyendran (11) is the Lifestyle Editor of Harker Aquila. She been a part of Harker's journalism program since her freshman year, and has previously...
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...