![“[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)
Japanese National Honor Society holds induction ceremony during long lunch
Japanese National Honor Society (JNHS) President Kristen Ko (11) gives a speech about what JNHS stands for to new members. Nine new members were inducted yesterday during long lunch.
Japanese National Honor Society (JNHS) welcomed nine new members yesterday during long lunch in Room 30 of the Dance Building.
New members included Jerry Chen (9), Elizabeth Schick (9), Gary Tsai (9), Emma Yu (9), Kaitlin Hsu (9), Maile Chung (10), Maria Malyugina (10), Kavya Seth (10) and Alex Sikand (11).
“I think the [induction ceremony] went really well. There were a lot of new members that joined, and I think that helped our honor society grow a lot,” JNHS President Kristen Ko (11) said. “I’m excited to work with all the new members to make an even better school year next year.”
To be eligible for JNHS membership, a student must be taking an Honors or AP Japanese class and maintain an average of A- or higher in the first semester. Members of JNHS are required to do at least five hours of Japanese-related community service every year and participate in activities hosted by JNHS.
During the ceremony, each new member received a certificate and a red-and-white honor cord from JNHS officers Jason Lee (11) and Kevin Kim (11). The honor cord is given to members of the society and represents the colors of the Japanese flag.
This year’s newly-elected officers, Kristen, Jason, Kevin and David Zhu (10), honored last year’s leadership and graduating seniors with bouquets. In addition, old and new members took an oath to dedicate themselves to the Japanese language.
After taking the pledge, JNHS members folded paper cranes and socialized with each other.
“[The ceremony] was fun, and there were a lot of people,” Jerry said. “We folded origami cranes to strengthen our bonds of friendship.”
In February, JNHS hosted Japan Week: a series of activities meant to celebrate Japanese heritage. These events included teaching students how to make “onigiri,” or rice balls, Japanese calligraphy and screenings of famous Japanese movies.
JNHS also organized a fundraiser for disaster relief in the Tohoku region of Japan. Members sold shaved ice, candy and takoyaki, a traditional Japanese snack.
Though the induction ceremony is the last JNHS event of the year, officers plan to release a schedule detailing next year’s activities over summer break.
Kaitlin Hsu (11) is the Editor-in-Chief of Wingspan Magazine. In her freshmen year, she was a reporter, and in her sophomore year, she was the Features...