![“[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)
Junior class white water rafts for the first time ever
For the first time ever, juniors rafted through the South Fork of the American River an hour away from Sacramento with O.A.R.S., a rafting company, for their class trip on Thursday.
Students loaded the buses at 6:15 a.m. for a three and a half hour drive. Juniors were divided into five groups with each group consisting of around four advisories. Each group boarded one bus and rafted together, one advisory to a raft.
“We really got to enjoy each other’s company with no phones and no distractions in such a ridiculously beautiful, stunning setting,” Shreya Sunkara (11) said.
Once the busses arrived, students stayed in their groups and headed to a campground for lunch. After lunch, an O.A.R.S. adviser walked students through the various safety tips of rafting and what to do in case of an emergency.
“I think my favorite part of the trip was experiencing something I would never have thought of the doing with all my friends,” Sanil Rajput (11) said. “While I have a huge fear of waters in general, the presence of all my buddies helped this fear evaporate, and I never thought about that once when I jumped into the river.”
Each rafting group traversed a trip of 12 miles going through Class I, II, and III rapids. All rapids have a classification to identify the intensity of the rapid. Class I rapids are easy, Class II rapids are novice, and Class III rapids are intermediate. Some examples of these rapids are Fowler’s Rock, Satan’s Cesspool, and Hospital Bar.
“My favorite part was when my friend and I fell out of the raft during the rapids,” Mary Najibi (11) said. “It was scary at first but then really fun.”
Although many students went on the trip, many decided not to come because of the early arrival time.
“I didn’t feel up for a 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. trip,” said Alex Sikand, a student who did not go. “I’d have to get up at 4:45 to make it to school on time.”
However, towards the end of the trip, students were rushed back onto the busses and could not have dinner because of prior time delays.
“There were smiles galore,” Class of 2016 Dean Matthew Harley said. “Everyone I asked said they had a fantastic time and that future junior classes should definitely do this trip.”
The final class trip for the Class of 2016 will be the Senior Class Trip to Laguna Beach in May of 2016.
Sharanya Balaji (12) is the Editor-In-Chief for Harker Aquila and has been on staff for the past three years. Additionally, during her freshman year she...