![“[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)
Editorial: Cramming the calendar
The Upper School’s fascination with summer activities.
A potential Upper School student’s summer calendar often features multiple-week-long internships, classes, and trips. Cramming the calendar can lead to valuable experiences but could also squander time that could be used to rest and explore.
It is the most popular question at the start of the school year: “What did you do this summer?”
Summer is the opportune time for students to participate in activities that interest them. Ask any Harker student what the ideal extended summer entails and you’ll hear about long days at the beach, afternoons watching TV or going out with friends or family. But that’s not what happens anymore.
Students now use the summer to participate in classes, join internships, work at jobs and volunteer. Though some of us truly enjoy the real-world experience offered by summer programs, others participate because they believe it’s necessary.
Maybe they are right, since 60% of the businesses surveyed by the Society for Human Resource Management believe that students need to start focusing on their careers as early as high school. And 90% agreed that a high school internship increases a student’s odds of entering a better college.
Increasingly, high school students feel pressure around balancing academic goals with personal interests. Here in Silicon Valley, home of countless tech startups and industry leaders, the professional culture demands that youths keep improving academically. Whether due to external stressors, such as parents, peers and cultural expectations, or internal fears driven by the college application process, students would agree that their summer activities revolve around checking off all the boxes on their college résumé.
If we glorify colleges over finding ourselves and pursuing our passions, how do we mature? Each summer provides us a golden opportunity to experiment and discover more about ourselves. Whether that means handling bacteria samples at a Stanford internship or relaxing at home, the vacation is a time to contemplate the future and prepare for the upcoming school year.
This piece was originally published in the pages of the Winged Post on August 31, 2015.
Elisabeth Siegel (12) is the editor-in-chief of the Winged Post. This is her fourth year in Journalism, and she especially loves production nights and...