![LALC Vice President of External Affairs Raeanne Li (11) explains the International Phonetic Alphabet to attendees. "We decided to have more fun topics this year instead of just talking about the same things every year so our older members can also [enjoy],” Raeanne said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DSC_4627-1200x795.jpg)
![“[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)
Senior joins National Youth Orchestra
Helen Wu tours the states for violin
Helen Wu (12) and Arjun Ganguly, a student from Minnesota, warm up backstage before a performance with the National Youth Orchestra. The two were chosen with 118 others to participate in the prestigious Carnegie Hall program, which started in New York.
Senior Helen Wu spent the summer training with professional musicians and performing on a coast-to-coast musical journey as part of the National Youth Orchestra (NYO).
Helen was one of the 120 students selected to participate in Carnegie Hall’s NYO program. She and other music students from around the United States trained with professional musicians at Purchase College in New York before embarking on a musical tour of the United States.
“We worked with with coaches from top orchestras from around the United States. Robert Chen was our Violin 1 coach, and he’s the concertmaster for Chicago in the Orchestra,” Helen said. “All of the coaches we worked with were absolutely amazing; they’re playing was ridiculous.
NYO’s 2014 tour made stops in New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, Wyoming, North Carolina, and California. Among other locations, the performers played in Carnegie Hall, Millennium Park, and the Walt Disney Concert Park. In addition, the players had a “travel day” to sightsee and bond at every location that they played at.
“They’re some of the most intelligent and talented people I’ve ever met, and I think that I’ll ever get to meet,” Helen said. “It was great to have my greatest friend down the hall from me for a month.”
Each year, NYO accepts high performing music students to participate in its residency program and nationwide tour. For her application, Helen submitted a brief musical biography, recommendations, and an audition video.
“The power of [this] orchestra is unmatched in terms of teenage orchestras around the world,” Helen said.
Information and videos from the 2014 tour are available on Carnegie Hall’s NYO website.
This piece was originally published in the pages of the Winged Post on August 29, 2014.
Vivek Bharadwaj (12) is the co-Editor-In-Chief for the Winged Post. His favorite subject in school is computer science, and he enjoys swimming and watching...