![“[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)
A member of the Upper School community for ten years, French teacher Antoinette Gathy has resumed teaching after taking a semester off to treat her nasopharyngeal carcinoma, a rare cancer that infects the nasal passages.
Having suffered from headaches and continual ear infections, Gathy was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer last July and began a six-month radiation and chemotherapy treatment, which was completed this month.
Gathy was treated by two oncologists, and according to her first radiation therapist, she had a rare cancer that the Kaiser Permanente Hospital has only seen once before. Hospitalized at Kaiser, Gathy was informed by another chemotherapist that her illness may have been a result of smoking. She began smoking when she was 20 and finally quit after the diagnosis in July. Gathy had received numerous cards, flowers, and letters of encouragement from colleagues and students.
For the first semester, Sabine Dazin taught all of Gathy’s French classes and helped her transition back into the classroom.
“I’m not sure what everyone has been told exactly, but everybody is so respectful [and] everybody is so happy to see me,” Gathy said.
During the past six months, treatment had been “difficult and very tiring,” she said, but Gathy interacted most closely with her sister, her boyfriend, and her best friend Sylvie, whom she has known since childhood, for their voice of encouragement and constant support in helping take care of domestic duties and other responsibilities.
From now on, Gathy will have regular checkups every four months to ensure that the cancer does not return.
“I worked hard and followed all of the doctor’s directions in order to come back to school as soon as I could,” Gathy said. “I missed it terribly.”
Jaya Chandra (11), who will be taught by Gathy for a second year this semester, has enjoyed learning French and is thrilled about Gathy’s return.
“I’m glad that Madame Gathy was able to recover quickly and that she has decided to continue teaching,” she said. “I missed the warmth that Madame Gathy brings to the classroom through her teaching.”
For Gathy, the most challenging part about overcoming her illness was the fear of death and losing the people she loves. As teaching has been her life ambition since she was four years old, Gathy is extremely happy to be back.
