![“[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)
Varsity girls water polo loses to Santa Clara
The Varsity girls’ water polo team lost its third game of the season to Santa Clara High School 13-10 at Singh Aquatic Center at the Harker Upper School.
The game started with the two teams scoring very close, with the lead shifting between the two teams, as one team would find a goal to set them ahead, but the other team would be able to create the equalizer.
Into the second half, the Harker team started to yield to the Santa Clara offense. Santa Clara managed to find a succession of goals that put them in the lead, and ultimately, Harker was unable to break it.
“We could have done better,” team member Emma Brezoczky (9) said after the game. “We were tied and we got tired and then we lost.”
For team member Yasemin Narin (11), the match was a mixed experience. “Overall the game was very fun, but I definitely think our team could have beat them and next time, we will make sure to come out with more positive and enthusiastic attitudes,” she said.
Both Joanna Lin (9) and Meghana Karinthi (9) believed that Harker could have won their game. “We were really unprepared and probably could have beat them,” said Joanna.
Meghana had a similar belief. “We could have beat this team,” she said after the game.
Ryan Hume, an alumni of the class of 2013, was helping at the desk and watching the game. “Santa Clara was a pretty strong team and Harker did a great job of keeping it close,” he said, after watching the game.
The girls will play their next game against Wilcox at 4:00 p.m. at Wilcox.
Alex Wang (12) is the opinion editor for Harker Aquila in his fourth year on staff. He was previously sports editor in his junior year. His favorite part...