![“[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)
AP week kicks off
Natasha Santhanam (10) does math homework in the Edge after school. Although cramming for AP’s was common, students still needed to complete homework assignments like normal.
Although AP students carried an enormous amount of stress on their shoulders, the majority of them felt prepared for the upcoming week. Today, the Chemistry, Environmental Science, and Psychology exams were held in the Nichols Atrium.
After completing his first exam, Vikas Bhetanabhotla (12) decided to unwind in the Edge.
“My first AP exam was today. Now that I’ve got one done I’m feeling a little more relaxed,” Vikas Bhetanabhotla (12) said. “I’m hoping it’ll go smoothly.”
For freshman Evani Radiya-Dixit, even the first day of AP week was a source of anxiety because her first AP Computer Science exam was approaching the next day.
“I feel prepared but a little nervous. I’ve practiced and completed so many computer science tests, but this is my first AP exam, so I’m nervous too,” she said.
Other students, like Vienna Wang (9), chose to take an AP exam because of outside academic classes. She was especially concerned because of certain aspects of the AP Chinese exam.
“I’m feeling kind of stressed about the culture presentation and the oral answers, but I think I’m going to be okay,” she said. “If it was another AP I would’ve felt more stressed, but Chinese is a second language, so I’m okay with taking the AP freshman year.”
Several students agreed that preparation is necessary in order to come to an AP test ready.
“Definitely start planning about a month before. Don’t do any serious studying maybe two weeks or a week before but you should start looking over stuff, like give yourself a lot of time,” Doreene Kang (10) said.
Because AP test preparations can take over students’ free time, teachers gave them lighter workloads.
“I focused more on my AP exam and kind of put my regular homework to the side until I finished with my exam. My teachers understand how busy this time of year can be so they have been pretty lenient with the workload,” Brandon Aguilar (11) said. “I’m glad its over because now I can focus on finishing up the year without having to worry about it.”
While AP tests often bring on high levels of stress, well-planned study habits and hard work play a large role in students’ performances on exams as well as their confidence levels immediately afterward.
Tomorrow, the AP exams for Computer Science A along with Spanish Language and Culture will take place from 8 to 11 a.m., and AP Art History will be at 12 to 3 p.m in the Nichols Atrium.
Kathy Duan is a senior and Co-Editor-in-Chief for TALON Yearbook. After three years on staff, she practically lives in the journalism room. She enjoys...