![“[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 soccer defeats Mercy Burlingame
Alyssa Amick (12) runs down the field with the ball. The girls went on to a 6-0 victory over Mercy Burlingame.
The girls varsity soccer defeated Mercy Burlingame 6-0 in a home game today.
All six goals were scored in the first half, with four of them occurring within the first 20 minutes.
Afterwards, Coach Iman Siadat commented on the game and how the girls played.
“I thought we played very well,” he said. “I was happy we scored six goals. I was more happy that we didn’t concede any goals.”
Joelle Anderson (10) scored a hat-trick, with three goals. Kailee Gifford (10), Nikita Parulkar (12) and Anuja Shah (9) all also scored one goal apiece.
As for the team’s future plans, Siadat also described what they will be working on as they move further into the season.
“[We’re] still trying to work out the best formation and lineup that we can to have the maximum productivity out of the group, and that’s what preseason is for,” he said. “I’m very proud of the group.”
Krishna Bheda (9), who had one assist in today’s game, also shared how she felt about the victory.
“It’s really nice because we’re on a [3-1-1] record for preseason. I think it was really nice to win today, and I’m hoping we can win more games in the future,” she said.
Upcoming games for girls varsity soccer include a home game against Crystal Springs Uplands on Thursday, as well as a home game against Menlo next Tuesday and an away game against Sacred Heart next Thursday.
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....