![“[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)
College counseling holds last session for seniors
College counselor Andrew Quinn goes over important reminders for seniors. Reminders included letting the college counselors know about final college choices.
Seniors gathered in their respective college counseling locations during extra help on Tuesday for their last college counseling session.
During the session, the counselors talked about spring college visits, wait lists, gap years and UC results and reminded students to submit a deposit by May 1 to the college they decide on.
The counselors also congratulated the seniors for getting through the college application process and encouraged students to continue updating them with decisions and news.
“It’s been really great to meet and get to work with students with such a variety of interests and talents,” college counselor Andrew Quinn, who came to the Upper School this year, said.
Many seniors reflected upon their experiences in college counseling and recalled things that they learned. For senior Kelly Wang, the most important piece of advice was “the fact that it’s not really competition; it’s more about finding the right fit for you.”
Others felt a bit of nostalgia at the thought of finishing the college application process.
“It’s kind of a bittersweet thing,” senior Vivek Sriram said. “It’s nice to know that the whole process is over, but it’s also kind of fun going every week and learning what the next thing in the college process is.”
Although counselors reminded seniors to keep track of their grades, they also encouraged students to relax as second-semester seniors.
“Enjoy the remaining time in high school, because it’s all going to change next year,” college counselor Nicole Burrell said. “You’ll stay friends and have relationships with the people in your class for the rest of your life, but this moment in time will never come again. Just enjoy what you have, which is a really great community with a great group of classmates.”
College counselors will still be available for additional meetings with seniors. Drop-in times are on Tuesday and Friday after school.
Cindy Liu, Academics Editor for the TALON Yearbook, is a senior and has been on staff for four years. Her favorite part of journalism is being able to...