![“[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)
Varsity softball loses to Castilleja on senior night
Varsity girls’ softball lost to Castilleja 2-10 at their Senior Night on May 12 at Blackford. In the second time they played the CCS-bound Castilleja, the team scored runs by Alisa Wakita (11), who stole home in the first inning, and Marti Sutton (10), who reached home off of a hit by Tong Wu (11).
Other highlights included doubles batted in by Marti Sutton and Kristin LeBlanc (9), a catch by center fielder Brianna Liang and a double out play by Alisa Wakita and Vivian Isenberg (12).
The team had an early 1-0 lead in the first inning, but Castilleja surpassed them in the top of the second inning with two runs. Harker scored their second run in the fourth inning, closing the gap to one run. Castilleja scored seven times after that.
In the pre-game ceremony on the diamond, seniors Sarah Bean, Vivian Isenberg, Brianna Liang, Madelyn Wang and Serena Wang each received flowers and a short speech from coach Raul Rios. Since senior Nitya Mani was unable to attend, her ceremony took place at a previous game.
Posters with slogans for each player, such as “Bri five fo fum, Brianna’s gonna get it done,” lined the dugout. In addition, student spectators created their own posters for the seniors and held them up when the team made a play.
“Senior Day is special because all seniors get to play whether they are starters or not,” Rios said. “The part I like best is after games we all sit in a circle and talk about what they thought about their softball experience was and you tend to get a lot of emotions and tears of joy.”
Kristin LeBlanc (9) was grateful for the seniors’ friendliness and openness throughout the season.
“I was the only freshman on the team, and it was pretty nice because the seniors were very kind to me,” Kristin said. “I would ask them the weirdest questions I could think of and they would let it loose and answer them.”
Sarah, the third baseman and one of the team captains, appreciated that the community came to their game.
“I loved seeing all of my friends and family come out to support us, teachers too,” she said.
The team’s season ended with a record of 9 wins and 9 losses. In addition to being the last game of the seniors’ high school career, this game was also assistant coach Ray Fowler’s last before he retires.
Melissa Kwan is a junior and the Seniors Editor for TALON Yearbook. This is Melissa's third year on staff. In her free time, Melissa plays volleyball for...