![“[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)
Class of 2015 honored at annual Baccalaureate ceremony
Speakers at the ceremony stand on stage to be recognized. The class of 2015 was honored at this year’s Baccalaureate ceremony, and passed on their roles to the junior class.
The Upper School hosted the annual Baccalaureate ceremony today at 6:30 p.m. in the Quad to honor the class of 2015, and officially pass on their roles as the oldest students on campus to this year’s junior class.
Upper School Director of Learning, Innovation and Design, Daniel Hudkins, shared his thoughts on the annual occurrence of this event.
“We have three big academic rituals. Matriculation, when things are beginning, graduation, when things end, but Baccalaureate is my favorite,” he said. “Baccalaureate is goodbye to the community. Graduation is for the grandparents.”
The ceremony commenced with Head of Academic Affairs Jennifer Gargano’s introduction of the Upper School choir group Cantilena, which sang ‘For Good’, a number from the hit musical, Wicked, as a tribute to their seniors.
Cantilena member Zahra Budhwani (10) expressed her support for her fellow seniors as well as the song.
“We all became really close in Cantilena this year,” she said. “We’re going to miss the seniors a lot, and we thought this would be a really good choice of a song.”
Following a performance by the orchestra, both the class of 2016 and the class of 2015 entered the quad to take their seats.
ASB president and member of the class of 2016, Michael Zhao (11) reflected on how much he will miss this year’s seniors.
“As you get older, especially as a junior, you become closer and closer with the graduating senior class,” Michael said. “So many of my friends are leaving, and I probably will never see most of them again because they are all going to different places around the globe. It’s really sad, but I’m also really happy for them. They all work so hard and deserve this. It’s exciting to think that we’ll be in their shoes in one year.”
Head of Upper School Butch Keller said his goodbyes to the class of 2015, and introduced this year’s faculty speaker, Upper School mathematics teacher Mary Mortlock.
Mortlock’s speech emphasized the importance of not being swayed by other’s opinions, as well as encouraged the seniors to look back at childhood years while looking forward to the years ahead.
“Be thankful for the past, and be grateful for the future,” she said. “Most importantly, be thankful for family.”
Mortlock’s speech received a standing ovation, and was followed by student speaker Ethan Ma (12), who donned a banana suit in honor of his tradition of wearing the suit every year since the fifth grade.
Ethan discussed the importance of living in the present.
“You should not depend on the future to request fulfillment, or risk becoming lost in the feeble shadow of reality, where happiness is an elusive jackrabbit,” Ethan said. “But wait, be still; with time, it will come to nibble the grass between your toes.”
His speech was received with another standing ovation, along with cheers and laughter from the entire audience.
The Baccalaureate ceremony concluded with closing remarks by Head of School Christopher Nikoloff, who then invited parents to view senior collages in the gym. Graduation will be held at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga this Saturday at 9 a.m.
Ria Gandhi (11) is the Aquila Features Editor. This is her third year on staff after being the Assistant Sports Editor in her sophomore year and a reporter...