![“[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)
Varsity girl’s basketball loses to Leigh High School
Players watch the ball as Jordan Thompson (10) shoots. The girls’ varsity basketball team went on to lose the game against Leigh High School 30-54.
The Varsity girls’ basketball team lost to the Leigh High School Longhorns 30-54 at Blackford on Friday.
In the first quarter, Leigh was leading 9-7. Harker then scored six points, and Leigh scored 19 in the second quarter. In the final two quarters, the Longhorns built on their lead by adding 26 points to their score. Harker also received 17 additional points in the second half, bringing the score to a 30-54 Leigh victory.
Head coach of the Varsity girls’ basketball team, Alfredo Alves, commented on Harker’s performance throughout the game.
“The score doesn’t say it, but the girls played really hard,” he said. “We were outmatched in the game by the bigger girls (from Leigh), but our girls were working hard to get it.”
Akshaya Vemuri (9), a player on the team, shared a similar sentiment about the game.
“The other team had quite a few tall players but we knew we could handle it with our speed,” she said. “I think we play really well as a team. We’re able to be successful both on offense and defense by communicating with each other.”
High-scorer Jordan Thompson (10) recieved 11 points, Satchi Thockchom (9) scored seven points, and Elizabeth Beamish (9) scored six. This game brings the girls to a 6-3 record.
Alves believes the team will be ready once league starts.
“I think from the first day to now, they have been coming along a lot better,” he said. “They improve everyday, and I think going into our league season we’re going to be doing well.”
The girls will play their first league game next Tuesday against Woodside Priory at the Saratoga campus.
Meena Gudapati (12) is the Editor-in-Chief of Harker Aquila. Her favorite part of journalism is making her humorous podcast "Get Skool'd" and writing interesting...