![“[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)
Harker alumni and businessman Andy Fang reflects on DoorDash’s success
Courtesy of Andy Wang
Andy Fang (’10) is one of the owners of DoorDash. The service allows customers to electronically order food from local restaurants.
In 45 minutes or less, technology can bring food from hundreds of local eateries to homes across California, Boston and Chicago.
In January 2013, a group of Stanford students, including Harker Alumnus Andy Fang (‘10), created a food delivery service app called DoorDash, for restaurants that don’t provide food transportation.
The service allows customers to electronically order food from local restaurants with a $5.99 delivery fee that is waved for the first selected order.
Since its start, the company has raised 19.7 million dollars in venture-backed money and has expanded across the country.
“DoorDash is a technology company that enables on-demand delivery to empower local economies,” the website’s mission statement reads. “We help small businesses grow, give underemployed people flexible work, and offer affordable convenience to consumers.”
Andy was recently listed in Forbes’ 30 under 30: Consumer Technology along with co-founder Stanley Tang.
Andy Fang conducted a brief interview with the Winged Post about his involvement with DoorDash and what he hopes to see in the future.
The Winged Post: Did you feel that your experiences at Harker have influenced your interests that led to your involvement with DoorDash?
Andy Fang: I wouldn’t say any one thing or combination of things I did in high school directly affected my eventual involvement with DoorDash. I’ll say that Harker did a great job of preparing me for life after high school.
WP: What did you major in at Stanford/ how does that relate to the work you are doing or plan on doing?
AF: I studied computer science. Given that I work at a technology company, it comes in handy quite a lot.
WP: You and Stanley Tang have recently been featured in Forbes magazine, how did that feel to be nationally recognized?
AF: It’s definitely an honor to be recognized in that way. To be honest, I never really expected that it would happen.
WP: What do you hope to see in the company’s future?
AF: We have great ambitions for DoorDash. We hope to establish DoorDash as a national brand and expand our on-demand logistics platform beyond restaurants.
WP: Can you speak about the company’s emphasis on helping local economies?
AF: For us it always started out with helping out small businesses. We went out and interviewed over a hundred small business owners ourselves to figure out the kinds of challenges they dealt with. Since then, it’s been extremely rewarding for us to see how we’ve empowered merchants trying to increase their business, drivers looking for flexible pay, and customers who seek the convenience we offer. The positive stories we hear from our merchants, drivers, and customers help remind us of why what we’re doing is important.
WP: Anything else to add?
AF: Not really, It’s always nice to get back in touch with the Harker community. Go Eagles!
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on March 13, 2015.
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