![“[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)
Upperclassmen participate in Siemens competition
Upperclassmen researchers toiled the past few weeks to finish their extensive summer research projects and submit to the Siemens Competition by Sept 30.
The Siemens science fair is an intensive science research competition, requiring students to spend the summer doing research. Many Harker students enter the Siemens Competition each year with the hopes of winning recognition, praise, and scholarships.
In order to make the rigorous submission procedure more accessible, recent reforms have been added to the system. Beginning this year, students are able to complete their forms electronically rather than mailing physical copies.
“Previously students would have to set up time to get their papers printed, assemble everything hardcopy, [and] get a CD together. It was a lot of little pieces that had to be assembled, and they had to meet a deadline where we’d put everything together and FedEx it,” Harker’s Siemens coordinator Dr. Anita Chetty said. “It’s so much easier now that it’s online.”
The Siemens science competition is known for being difficult to qualify for. With higher stakes and higher payoffs, the Siemens Competition is more challenging and intensive than what most students are accustomed to.
“You’re writing a technical paper that goes up to 20 pages so I guess it goes beyond a lot of what you’d be researching for a science class report,” said competitor David Lin (12). “But a lot of it is just budgeting time during the week to work on it.”
In addition to the submission requirements, many competitors are often simultaneously concerned with college applications when submitting their projects.
“It’s an issue we have every year with seniors doing Siemens because we have Siemens due Sept. 30 and we have a lot of early applications for college due mid October to November 1,” David added. “[But] that’s something we realize before when we’re signing up for this, so it wasn’t really too much of a surprise.”
Harker students have continued to submit to the Siemens Competition, and Harker has continued to rank. Each year from 2009-2012, Harker placed at least four finalists or semifinalists at regionals.
This year, Harker will be participating in both the Siemens Competition and the Intel Science Talent Search, and hopes for students to place.
Derek Yen is a senior and the Opinion Editor of Winged Post. Derek served as the STEM Editor of Aquila and Winged Post during his junior year and as a...