![“[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)
Snapchat Adds Money Sending Service
Courtesy of SlashGear
Popular photo-messaging service Snapchat launched a feature last week enabling users to send money to one another through its mobile application.
According to a promotional video on Snapchat’s website, the money-sending service, called Snapcash, allows users to simply type in a dollar sign, followed by a numerical amount, to send money to the recipient. Users will have to link their credit cards to their Snapchat accounts, which the company claims will be secure and encrypted.
“The money feature is another dimension that could make Snapchat a more useful app,” Nikita Mittal (12) said.
This new service is powered by Square, a mobile finance company that has been active in turning mobile devices into payment devices. Square builds a software platform and an iOS dongle that allows customers and retailers to pay and receive money using their mobile devices. Square devices have been implemented in local food and grocery shops as well as boutique stores.
Ray Song (10) does not see much value in this new money-sending service.
“I think there’s definitely a potential problem with the security of the account as well as the privacy,” Ray said. “ I personally would never connect my bank account with it. Also, the easier it is to send or use money on a platform, the more likely to become a blind consumer.”
Snapchat, which has traditionally been simply a photo-messaging application, is now adding more features to stand out against competitors such as Facebook’s Slingshot. After Snapchat turned down the social media giant’s acquisition offer for $3 billion back in 2013, the latter launched its own “selfie” app.
Snapchat currently has a valuation of over $10 billion. This number is expected to climb with the new features the application in the coming months. According to the Wall Street Journal, the social media application has over 100 million monthly users. Many students use Snapchat because of its entertaining and interactive nature.
“Snapchat is just a cool idea in my opinion in how easy it is to share photos and videos and stuff,” Arjun Ashok (12) said. “Being able to see it for a limited time is something that I’m [kind of] neutral on. I guess it’s good sometimes and not good other times.”
Arjun added that he uses Snapchat to share music with his friends. He likes to play 10 second videos of songs and then send it to people.
With mixed views on the new money-sending feature, only time will tell whether this new addition is a hit or not.
Vedant Thyagaraj is the Science & Technology Editor for Harker Aquila. He is currently a senior and has been on staff for the past three years. Vedant...