![“[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)
Varsity girls volleyball loses to Menlo School
Jacqueline Chen (12) and Lindsey Trinh (11) block a hit from the opposing side. The varsity girls’ volleyball lost to Menlo today.
The varsity girls volleyball team lost to long-time rival Menlo High School yesterday at a home conference game, advancing to 15-8 in the season overall and 6-1 in league.
The Eagles took a fast lead in the match with a 25-19 first game win; however, Menlo defeated the girls in their second and third game, countering with scores of 19-25 and 16-25 respectively. In the fourth and final set of the match, the girls dropped short and lost to their opponents 23-25, just lagging by two points.
Even with their loss today, the Eagles fought back during the last game and improved their losing score of 12-20 to a close 19-22 match-up.
Head coach Theresa “Smitty” Smith commented on the girls’ performance and on her hopes for their upcoming CCS matches.
“I walk away from this game with no regrets,” she said. “I think we learned a lot tonight, and it makes us stronger as a team. Playing a match like this, having it be so close, and really having to fight back will really help us when we play teams in CCS.”
Despite not being able to play with her injury, captain Shannon Richardson (12) reflected on her game experience.
“It was frustrating to not be able to go out there with them and just have to watch and scream from the sidelines, but I know that our team will still do great things without me,” she said. “I just want to be there for my team and support them through it all.”
Steven Cavella, head coach of the Menlo team, talked about his impression of the game and how both teams played well.
“I thought both teams played really hard, it was a competitive match,” he said. “Part of my team thought Harker really battled at the end of the fourth game coming back, so I think both teams should be proud of their performance.”
The girls will play their next home game against Notre Dame High School on Oct. 27 at 5:45 p.m.
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...
Gloria Guo is a junior and Academics Editor for TALON Yearbook. This is Gloria's third year on staff. In her free time, Gloria enjoys running and listening...