![Setter Emma Lee (9) sets the ball to the middle during the match against Pinewood on Sept. 12. “[I’m looking forward to] getting more skilled, learning more about my position and also becoming better friends with all of my teammates, Emma said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DSC_4917-2-1200x795.jpg)
![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasnt been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but Ive had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. Theres so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesnt exist, you can build it yourself, Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“Animation just clicked in a way. I had been interested in art, but that felt different. [Animation] felt like it had something behind it, whereas previous things felt surface level. I wasnt making that crazy of things, but just the process of doing it was much more enjoyable, Carter Chadwick (22) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screen-Shot-2022-08-16-at-9.44.08-AM-900x598.png)
![“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 its played such a major role in who Ive 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 Im [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)
![“[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)
![“Im 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 theres a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyones 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)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you arent going to get those championships if you arent 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)
![“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)
A little action goes a long way
Wikitravel
Dharahara Tower, an 1824 military watchtower, has collapsed in the earthquake. Nepal has been devastated with much destruction.
A few days ago, Ray Mitra was packaging Neosporin and various other medicines in his living room. Three days later, that same Neosporin was used by a doctor to help heal a young boy in Nepal suffering in a remote village.
Mitra, the president of the non-profit organization Indus, has taken steps to provide support to those affected by the earthquake that struck Nepal on April 25. The 7.8 moment magnitude earthquake caused more than 6,500 confirmed casualties and at least 17,200 injuries.
People have been forced out of their homes without food or medical supplies. This struck a chord with Ray Mitra, who has a history of helping others.
“I felt very bad [for Nepal], so I started this initiative because I also run a charity organization called Indus which is an arts enrichment program for low income schooling in the Bay Area, India and Kenya,” Mitra said. “I have a lot of compassion for people. I like to help people.”
The last earthquake of this magnitude was in 1906 in San Francisco. While San Francisco had the infrastructure to rebuild from its damages, Nepal does not.
“Buildings are broken, because Nepal doesn’t follow an earthquake readiness program,” Mitra said. “Their buildings are old and shabby; their airports and hospitals are all broken down.”
Mitra created a Facebook page to encourage others to donate clothes and medicines to Nepal. What he didn’t know was just how viral this page was going to be.
“It just turned into a grassroots initiative all over the Bay Area,” Mitra said. “The Nepali community in the Bay Area is very disconnected, and they do not collaborate together to make an impact. Then this opportunity came up and people started [helping out more.]”
Mitra now ships out around 50 pounds of medicine to Nepal every day. He has also collected 16,000 pounds of clothing and hopes to send those over soon. Photo updates of the medicine’s travels are posted on Mitra’s Facebook page.
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on May 13, 2015.
Sharanya Balaji (12) is the Editor-In-Chief for Harker Aquila and has been on staff for the past three years. Additionally, during her freshman year she...
Derek Yen is a senior and the Opinion Editor of Winged Post. Derek served as the STEM Editor of Aquila and Winged Post during his junior year and as a...
