![“[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)
New student council members announced
Stephanie Huang (11), Ankur Karwal (11), and Edward Sheu (11) pose for a picture. All three will be members of the Class of 2016 student council.
Student council released its election results on April 27, revealing that only two people new to student council have been elected, both in the upcoming sophomore class.
The results for the rising sophomore class chose Jimmy Lin as president, Darren Gu as vice president, Derek Kuo as secretary, as well as spirit coordinator Makenzie Tomihiro and treasurer Megan Huynh, both of whom are new to student council.
Rising juniors elected Sandip Nirmel as president, Eddie Shiang as vice president, Alexander Lam as secretary, Haley Tran as spirit coordinator and David Zhu as treasurer.
Sophomores Alexander Lam, David Zhu, Haley Tran, and Eddie Shiang are the new student council members for the Class of 2017.
The rising seniors chose Ankur Karwal as president, Prithvi Gudapati as vice president, Edward Sheu as spirit coordinator and Stephanie Huang as secretary, while the position of treasurer has yet to be announced.
Despite a lack of experience, the new freshman student council members hope to offer new ideas and points of view.
“I think [being new to student council] is an advantage because there’s new ideas that we bring, so that student council isn’t just the same forever,” spirit coordinator and new student council member Makenzie Tomihiro (9) said.
“I think it’s also a disadvantage because you don’t have the experience. I think it’s more of an advantage than a disadvantage though,” she said.
Traditionally, students serving on a class council are usually elected to the same position for the following year, with few slots taken by students running for the first time. Compared to last year, there are fewer new members in positions this year.
The student councils for next year have already met and begun working on ideas proposed during their speeches.
“We already had plans to have a class bonding event sometime during the year and also to make class meetings shorter and more efficient,” rising junior spirit coordinator Haley Tran (10) said. “We also want to have some sort of a fundraiser.”
Rising sophomores have also begun working on fundraising ideas for next year and proposed ideas for more events, like a class-wide dance.
“Some of my plans include partnering with big companies that have established fundraising programs like Krispy Kreme or Jamba Juice,” secretary Megan Huynh (9) said. “I also want to take advantage of the allotted time for the sophomore bake sale to have a Waffle Wednesday, where we can sell fresh waffles, hopefully every week.”
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on May 13, 2015.
Maya Jeyendran (11) is the Lifestyle Editor of Harker Aquila. She been a part of Harker's journalism program since her freshman year, and has previously...
Lauren Russell (10) is a reporter in her second year on staff for the Winged Post. After joining the staff for freshman year, she looks forward to continuing...
Trisha Dwivedi (12) is the Managing Editor of Harker Aquila. She was a reporter her freshman year, Business Manager of the Winged Post her sophomore year...
Ashley Jiang (11) is the photo editor for Winged Post. This is her third year in the journalism program, and she was a reporter her freshman and sophomore...