![“[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)
DECA hosts ice cream social after school
DECA officers hand out bowls of ice cream outside Manzanita.
The Upper School DECA program hosted an ice cream social after school yesterday outside Manzanita as a kick-off to their club month.
Next to the lunch tables and the bus loading zone, DECA officers set up a table laden with ice cream toppings. Dozens of students stopped by for the free ice cream in its twenty minute duration.
Although DECA did eventually run out of ice cream, they still offered whipped cream and toppings as a sweet treat.
DECA advisor Juston Glass explained that the ice cream social has become a tradition of providing a service, one of free ice cream, to the students.
“It’s an opportunity to give back to the community and have them come out and just enjoy a little bit of time with ice cream with their friends,” Glass said. “They always play the ice cream bell on Fridays, but there’s never any ice cream, so we said, you know what, DECA’s going to provide and pull through to the team.”
DECA Chief Executive Officer Savi Joshi (12) described the goal of DECA month.
“The point of DECA month is to, one, increase awareness about DECA and what DECA does, and two, to excite entrepreneurs about getting into DECA and exploring the world of business,” she said.
Alexis Gauba (10), DECA’s Director of Technology, talked about how she likes not only learning about entrepreneurship, but also the social aspect of the program.
“With DECA, you really get to learn more about business and you learn those professional skills that are actually going to help you in the real world,” she said. “At the same time, you get to make a lot of friends and participate in a lot of fun events, like the ice cream social or the basketball tournament.”
Anastasia Cheplyansky (9), one student who got ice cream from the social, looks forward to DECA’s Hoops & Scoops basketball game next week.
“I think it’s a great idea that they’re doing Hoops & Scoops, and I think it’s great promotion for DECA,” she said.
Hoops & Scoops is a faculty-student basketball game that will take place next Wednesday in the gym during long lunch. Students of all grades will be able to play against their teachers or buy ice cream sundaes. One scoop sundaes will be $2 and three scoops for $5, and all money will go to the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).
Sahana Srinivasan (12) is the Editor-in-Chief of the Winged Post and Wingspan, having previously served as Managing Editor, Asst. STEM Editor and a reporter....