![“[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 preview of Sharanya Balaji’s dance fundraiser
This picture was taken during last year’s fundraiser on Aug. 10 at the Santa Clara University Recital Hall.
Sharanya Balaji (11) will be hosting a classical Indian solo dance performance on Saturday, September 6 to raise money for a nonprofit called Starting Arts.
Sharanya has been dancing for the past 12 years, but recently, she has decided to take her passion to the next level by supporting local philanthropic causes. According to its website, Starting Arts is a local bay area nonprofit “dedicated to promoting and preserving arts education for children.” By holding this fundraiser, Sharanya hopes to work with Starting Arts to expose the students of Grant Elementary School in San Jose to the arts by providing them with an integrated arts curriculum.
“I’ve always had an inclination to help those who are disadvantaged in some way,” Sharanya said. “So, I decided to take something that I was so lucky to have and give it back to the people who need it.”
Sharanya believes that interactions with the arts can increase students’ self-esteem, confidence, sensory skills, and overall well-being. By charging $20 for admission per person, she hopes to raise enough money to provide an arts curriculum for the entire Grant Elementary School’s community. Last year, when she started the initiative, she raised enough to support two classrooms. However, she hopes that with a larger audience and increased donations, she will be able to provide for the entire school.
Sharanya initially became passionate about this cause because of how prevalent performing arts have been in her life.
“A lot of us use [the arts] in small different ways throughout the day,” Sharanya said. “[So] I wanted to make sure that everyone else was benefitting from the same [privilege] that I got to benefit from.”
The performance lineup will begin with a series of opening pieces, leading up to a traditional 30-minute “centerpiece” that will incorporate the three fundamental aspects of bharatanatyam: footwork, expressions, and dramatization. Afterwards, Sharanya will perform a few shorter pieces oriented around a theme of love.
“For this performance, I am most excited to see what the final [donation] amount ends up as,” Sharanya said. “I just want to make the students feel like there is something worth going to school.”
Sharanya is currently expecting 400 attendees, including school faculty and students, members of her dance school, Grant Elementary faculty, Starting Arts members, friends, and family.
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