![“[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)
Juniors attend last college counseling meeting of the year
College counselors Martin Walsh, Nicole Burrell, Kevin Lum Lung and Andrew Quinn discuss tasks that need to be completed before the upcoming school year, including registration for college athletics. Juniors attended their last meeting of college counseling today in the Nichols Auditorium during extra help.
After nearly a semester of being introduced to the college counseling process, juniors attended their last meeting of the school year in the Nichols auditorium today during extra help.
Counselors Martin Walsh, Nicole Burrell, Kevin Lum Lung and Andrew Quinn discussed the writing process for the personal statement essay and the action items that students should complete before their first meeting at the beginning of the upcoming school year.
Tasks that juniors should complete include working on college lists, researching colleges, creating a spreadsheet to remain organized, brainstorming ideas for the college essays, and writing at least one draft for the personal statement essay.
Walsh advised students to write a meaningful essay by setting aside time during the summer to brainstorm ideas and reflect upon interesting life experiences.
“I almost feel like we are ordering you to go for a nice long walk, go to the beach, to do something to get away from all the white noise that represents being 17 and 18, and getting ready for the application process,” he said. “The only challenge here is to be an interesting dinner party companion. Write something so [the admissions officers] will say, wow I heard something really cool today that I’ll be thinking about for the rest of the week. That’s really the challenge.”
Kelly Wang (‘15) agreed with Walsh and advised students to think about essay ideas for the common application over the summer.
“I think the common app comes out over the summer, so you should look at that when it starts, when it is up,” she said. “You might want to think of some essay ideas and brainstorm the common app essay ideas. Just brainstorm your common app essay and start outlining it and writing it”
Sohil Patel (11) thought that the meeting was useful, as it kept him on track with the college application process.
“I think they are really helpful, especially for all the rising seniors, because we have never experienced applications,” he said. “So it really gets us going, it really motivates us to put in the effort beforehand and get organized early on, and starting early is what they emphasize and it is really going to pay back in the long run since procrastination does not end well.”
As the college counselors will be working on drafting recommendation letters, they will not be available for counseling meetings over the summer. Counselor Kevin Lum-Lung will not be available as of Wednesday, May 27, because of paternity leave.
Vineet Kosaraju (12) is the STEM Editor for both Harker Aquila and Winged Post. He is a senior and has been part of the journalism program for the past...