![“[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)
Upper School has three-day weekend
Kristen Ko (11) shops at Great Mall Outlet on Sunday. She also went to a Halloween-themed Interact club dance on Saturday. The purpose of the dance was to help fundraise for adopting villages in Kenya.
Upper School students plan to use their time on the second Fall Break Day, Oct. 27, a three-day weekend for a variety of activities, ranging from completing college apps to finding a Halloween costume.
Because the college application early submission is Nov. 1, David Lin (12) plans to finish his apps over the long weekend.
“It’s not going to be a fun long weekend, but at least I’ll get something done, and afterwards, I’ll be able to relax and enjoy myself,” he said.
Similarly, Joyce Zhao (10) will go to her friend’s house to complete an English project due on Tuesday.
“We have to write a sonnet for english class so we’re going to be working on that, and I guess we’ll just brainstorm and then hang out,” she said.
Some other students go after more recreational activities.
Anamika Kannan (9) will prepare her Halloween costume and go to a birthday party.
“Maybe I’ll make my own costume,” she said, “I want to get red contacts.”
Kurt Schwartz (11) looks forward to these plans. He has volleyball practice on Saturday and Sunday and plans to eat a lot of junk food. But he also wants to get a carwash.
“I’m going to wash my car because I really hate it, and I need to get it cleaned so it looks nice and presentable so people are like ‘wow Kurt, you’re fancy,’” Kurt said.
The next break for students is Thanksgiving week, which runs from Nov. 22 to 30.
Ashley Zhong (11) is the Design Editor for the TALON yearbook and has been on staff since her freshmen year. Yearbook gives her a chance during the school...