![“[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)
Hillary Clinton announces 2016 presidential bid to mixed reactions
Courtesy of Shannon Hong
Shannon Hong (11) poses in front of campaign material for Hillary Clinton. Shannon is a supporter of Hillary Clinton’s bid for presidency.
Hillary Rodham Clinton announced her 2016 presidential bid in a video on Sunday.
Clinton’s announcement comes as a result of her desire to decrease the amount of income inequality.
The video begins by showing clips of people of various ethnicities, ages and sexualities in the middle class talk about how they are “getting ready.”
“I’m getting ready to do something too,” Clinton says. “I’m running for president.”
Clinton goes on to explain how she can be a “champion” and lead the country. This is Clinton’s second time running for president; she was a 2008 Democratic nominee.
Aside from her presidential nomination, Clinton has also served as the First Lady of the U.S from 1993-2001, senator from New York from 2001-2009 and the 67th United States Secretary of State from 2009-2013.
Kirsten Gillibrand, a current senator from New York, promoted Clinton’s bid in a tweet.
Clinton plans to provide financial help to middle class members, such as the ones shown in the video, by increasing taxes on the upper class.
Shannon Hong (11), who has supported Clinton since she first ran for president, also commented on what Clinton promoted in the video.
“I think its good that she’s focusing her policy on middle class americans, trying to be the champions of everyone, specifically those that are normal people,” she said.
Other students also express their support for Clinton’s nomination.
“Since her husband was the president and she’s already been in that situation, it’s going to be great to have her,” Jadan McDermott (9) said. “She’s probably going to know what she’s doing.”
Other than Clinton, three politicians have announced their decision to run for president. Canadian-born Rafael Edward “Ted” Cruz, who is currently a senator representing Texas, tweeted that he would be running under Republican party.
In another tweet, Cruz discusses the policies of Clinton and President Barack Obama.
Republicans Rand Paul, a senator from Kentucky, and Marco Rubio, a senator from Florida have also announced their bids.
Following her campaigning in Iowa, Clinton will be speaking in New Hampshire.
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...