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![“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)
Students attend QuickBooks Connect through CareerConnect
Courtesy of Riya Chandra
Oprah Winfrey speaks at the QuickBooks Connect conference, which 14 upper school students attended on Tuesday. She encouraged small businesses to aim to see themselves and be spirits of service, and her talk was the highlight of several students.
November 5, 2015
Fourteen upper school students attended the QuickBooks Connect conference through CareerConnect Tuesday, hearing talks from notable speakers including Oprah Winfrey.
The conference, called QuickBooks Connect, invites small business owners, entrepreneurs, accountants and developers to come. Held annually for three days, the company brings in notable speakers, ranging from visionaries to poets to major players in industry. This year, the notable speakers included Oprah Winfrey, Brian Grazer, Jessica Alba, Brian Lee, Robert Herjavec, Bill Rancic, Scott Cook, Sekou Andrews and Brad Smith.
“The whole experience or walking in and seeing the whole setup of the event was amazing,” co-founder of CareerConnect Riya Chandra (11) said. “It was so well-done, better than any conference I have been to.”
The students attended talks and visited exhibitor booths, as well as listen to some of the speakers. Grazer, Andrews and Winfrey spoke on Tuesday, and some of the students met Grazer and take a picture with him as well.
“My favorite part of the event was listening to Oprah present her keynote address,” Soham Khan (11) said. “She delivered an empowering talk that encouraged small businesses to view themselves in a spirit of service and intention.”
CareerConnect organized the conference, aiming to give students an opportunity to attend the conference for free. The tickets, normally $150, were sponsored for the attendees. A few of the students stayed for the whole day of talks, and were also able to hear Alba speak and meet and hear Herjavec as well.
In between the speakers, students visited booths and talk with other attendees and exhibitors. A part of the event’s function is to allow small businesses and young people interested in business to network and make connections with others at the event.
“Overall, as a CareerConnect officer, it was fulfilling to see the other students enjoy themselves and learn from one of our events,” Dolan Dworak (10) said.
CareerConnect will be holding other similar events during the school year, taking students to conferences and also bringing in speakers and mentors to talk with students.
