![“[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)
Juniors begin college counseling sessions
College counselors provide information about the college counseling process during the junior class’s first meeting on Jan. 20.
The junior class began its weekly college counseling meetings on Jan. 20 during extra help.
College counseling marks the beginning of the college application process for many juniors, and will continue through the end of the first semester of senior year.
Counselors Nicole Burrell, Kevin Lum Lung, Andrew Quinn and Martin Walsh guide the students throughout the process and help them with any questions or concerns.
“[We] calmly lay out what we are actually doing here,” Burrell said. “[The students] actually have a lot more time than [they] think, [and] we are going to walk [them] through this process step by step.”
Malvika Khanna (11) believes college counseling plays an important role in her high school career.
“College counseling seems pretty daunting to me, but I’ve seen my brother go through the process, so I understand how important it is,” she said. “I know that the counselors are here to help me and that in the end, the process will be worth it.”
Lum Lung stresses the importance of what juniors should be doing to prepare themselves and comments about what piece of advice many seniors suggest to the junior class.
Senior Savi Joshi enjoyed her college counseling experience because many of the people she knew were going through the same situations and could relate with each other.
“Even though it was really stressful and the writing was really frustrating at times because you always want to give out this good piece and you look at it one day and it is amazing, and you look at it a week later and it is the worst thing you’ve ever written, the people, the counselors, your friends, we’re all going through this process together and your teachers become really understanding,” Savi said. “I think it is just a different process and out of it you become a different person because you’re forced to reflect on yourself so much. The whole college process is more of a self reflection.”
The junior class will continue to meet their counselors in their designated locations every Tuesday during extra help.
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on Jan. 28, 2015.
Raveena Kapatkar (12) is the Co-Editor-in-Chief of Harker Aquila. She is a senior and this is her fourth year on staff. As a freshman, she was a reporter...