![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 hasnt been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but Ive had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. Theres so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesnt 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 wasnt 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 its played such a major role in who Ive 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 Im [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)
![“Im 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 theres a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyones 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)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you arent going to get those championships if you arent 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)
![“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)
Petition started to increase U.C. admittance rate
The number of California freshmen enrolled at U.C. Berkeley decreased by 800 from 2009 to 2014, yet the number of out-of-state incoming freshmen increased by 1080.
Rohini Ashok, parent of Upper School student Arjun Ashok (11), launched a petition on May 2 titled “UCs for Californians,” which is close to achieving its goal of 3000 signatures.
According to its MoveOn entry, which directly petitions The California State House, The California State Senate, and Gov. Jerry Brown, the petition intends to stop the University of California schools from “‘selling’ its admission process to the highest bidder.”
A San Jose Mercury News article on the subject cited both past and present statistics for U.C. Berkeley admissions. The number of California freshmen enrolled at U.C. Berkeley decreased by 800 from 2009 to 2014, yet the number of out-of-state incoming freshmen increased by 1080.
“That would make sense, because it’s a California public school,” she said. “It would be in their best interest to cater to those under the system in the state.”
Upper School students have also commented on the way they perceive the system to work.
“We’re the ones funding the U.C. system, but they’re tending to accept more out of state residents because they get more money that way,” Jeremy Binkley (11) said.
As of the 2012-2013 U.S. Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Survey, current in-state students pay 32.9 percent of what out-of-state undergraduates pay.
“People are paying their taxes and their children are essentially getting shortchanged,” Ashok said. “Essentially, California is funding a U.C. system that doesn’t work so well. [The petition is] going to be a huge process, and something needs to be done and needs to be done very quickly.”
People are paying their taxes and their children are essentially getting shortchanged. Essentially, California is funding a U.C. system that doesn’t work so well. [The petition is] going to be a huge process, and something needs to be done and needs to be done very quickly.
— Rohini Ashok
Physics teacher Mark Brada disagreed with the premise of the petition, citing issues with the current funding of the U.C. system.
“The citizens of California have voted to defund the U.C. system, so I don’t believe that the system has any obligation to [students of] the state in particular,” he said.
Some Upper School students see the matter as a relative non-issue.
“Despite its personal relevance to my own success, I see the drop in California admissions as a phenomenon linked inextricably to globalization as a whole and that, quite honestly, sooner or later this will have to come to pass,” Abhinav Ketineni (10) said.
Ashok also shared her plan of action for moving forward with the petition.
“I will probably wait just a little bit longer, and then I’ll write to the governor to get an appointment to meet with him or staff and physically turn in the petition,” she said. “I’ve invited everybody who wants to go to join me, because this is not something for me, it’s not my thing, it’s for all of the children who can potentially go to a U.C. down the line.”
She went on to give encouragement to past and present California high school students.
“Keep working hard, this is your legacy and you have every right to be at a U.C. if you work hard and keep your grades up,” she said. “If you got turned down in the past it wasn’t your fault, it was a problem that’s bigger than all of you.”
Out of 164 polled, the Upper School’s graduating class of 2014 has 24 students that have decided on schools in the U.C. system for their first year of undergraduate education.
This piece was originally published in the pages of the Winged Post on May 16, 2014.
Elisabeth Siegel (12) is the editor-in-chief of the Winged Post. This is her fourth year in Journalism, and she especially loves production nights and...
