![Setter Emma Lee (9) sets the ball to the middle during the match against Pinewood on Sept. 12. “[I’m looking forward to] getting more skilled, learning more about my position and also becoming better friends with all of my teammates, Emma said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DSC_4917-2-1200x795.jpg)
![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasnt been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but Ive had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. Theres so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesnt exist, you can build it yourself, Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“Animation just clicked in a way. I had been interested in art, but that felt different. [Animation] felt like it had something behind it, whereas previous things felt surface level. I wasnt making that crazy of things, but just the process of doing it was much more enjoyable, Carter Chadwick (22) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screen-Shot-2022-08-16-at-9.44.08-AM-900x598.png)
![“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 its played such a major role in who Ive 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 Im [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)
![“[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)
![“Im 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 theres a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyones 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)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you arent going to get those championships if you arent 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)
![“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)
Looking to BEcon: Students debut first business conference
Alex Sikand (11) presents his company idea to a panel of judges during sHarker Tank. sHarker Tank remained one of the most popular events at the inaugural BEcon conference.
The Harker Business and Economics classes will host BEcon a Business and Economics conference on Saturday, providing students with workshops, keynote speakers, and time to learn and display their work in business and economics this Saturday at the Upper School campus.
The result of a year of planning, BEcon consists of a largely student-run initiative, led by Panny Shan (11) and Sidhart Krishnamurthi (12), alongside a group consisting of members of each class. The students have been working since last year to create BEcon, working out logistics, finding speakers to give presentations, and getting IBM, Toms, and Bennesse sponsor this event.
The conference will feature a poster session for student presenters, a networking lunch, BEcon Jeopardy, and “sHarker Tank.” The poster session will consist of a variety of projects that students created in Business and Entrepreneurship programs and will allow students to present entrepreneurial work they completed through summer internships.
“Many students have all these ideas in their head, and they have all these things that they did over the summer and during the school year, and the best part is they get to show it,” Chirag Aswani (12) said. “This gives me the opportunity to show the passion that I have.”
Chirag also expressed enthusiasm for the debut of “sHarker Tank.”
Modeled after ABC’s “Shark Tank”, “sHarker Tank” allows students from across the Bay Area to present a sales pitch to a panel of venture capitalists and professionals.
Based on their presentation and idea, they will be judged and given scores. The finalists will proceed to a second round in the afternoon, in which they will have to perform a sales presentation for an unknown product. The winning students will receive a mentorship lunch with Ashok Krishnamurthi, Executive Chairman and co-founder of Xsigo Systems, and a successful entrepreneur with over 20 years of management experience. Only “sHarker Tank” requires students to pre-register.
Ran Abramitzky, an Economics professor at Stanford, and Jeremy King, chief technology officer of Global e-Commerce for Walmart, will deliver keynote speeches in Nichols auditorium. The event will also consist of a series of workshops, including Startup 101, Personal Finance, Sales, and a Résumé continuation from CareerConnect mentors.
“I think BEcon’s a buffet of amazing items, and no matter what you fill your plate with, as long as you come to the conference, you’re going to be very much satisfied,” Director of Business and Entrepreneurship Programs Juston Glass said.
There has been extensive planning that has gone into organizing this event, with many students working to help bring it about.
“I have been visualizing this since spring break of my junior year,” Sidhart said.
As the date of the conference nears, the students are working hard to get ready for the date.
“We’ve got all our speakers and student presenters, we’re just putting together final touches and working on logistical issues,” said Panny Shan (11). “Mr. Glass has gathered a group of very talented people to put this together, and we’re really excited,” she said.
The students in charge hope to make it an annual event that will draw attendance from students all over the Bay Area.
This article was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on Oct. 17, 2014.
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