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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)
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![“[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)
Earthquake devastates regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan
Courtesy of Creative Commons
The earthquake originated in the heart of the Hindu Kush mountain range. About 400 deaths and over 2,000 injuries resulted from the earthquake.
November 21, 2015
About 400 deaths and over 2,000 injuries resulted from a catastrophic earthquake that shook the northern regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan at around 2 p.m on Oct. 26. Wreaking havoc in some of the most remote areas of the region, the earthquake originated in the heart of the Hindu Kush mountain range.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the magnitude of the earthquake was 7.7, but then was revised to a 7.5. Regions as distant as India experienced the effects.
The earthquake affected poor regions torn by civil war induced by the Taliban. With the seasons now changing towards winter, the thousands left homeless are at serious risk.
Haris Hosseini (9) spoke about how the earthquake affected his life personally.
“It’s our heritage, so we keep up with the news, and it’s sad to see that,” Haris said. “There’s already enough political conflict, [so] you don’t need natural disasters going on.”
Officials say that this region has experienced the largest seismic activity since the catastrophic 7.6 magnitude earthquake that hit the Kashmir region, which left four million homeless and 70,000 dead.
According to the New York Times, more than 10,000 homes have been destroyed. Pakistani officials have distributed relief gear to the victims, which includes 28,219 tents, 35,700 blankets and food.
Though originally seeking funds for the Nepal disaster, Harker UNICEF has shifted its efforts to relief in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The charity club’s president, Alex Mo (11), shared UNICEF’s reasons for doing so.
“We feel like within the past few days the earthquake that has hit Afghanistan is much more pressing right now,” Alex said. “On Halloween, we hosted a trick or treat for UNICEF where the funds went to the cause.”
Chris Thompson, Harker business teacher and former National Development Director of Feed My Starving Children, shared his thoughts on the disaster.
“There is urgency to do something, whether it is to provide clothing or shelter, and in such a remote area, that is so hard,” Thompson said. “My concern is for the kids that are left helpless.”
The massive earthquake also caused a landslide in northern Pakistan.
Students from the Harker community can offer support to the individuals in need by becoming involved with Harker UNICEF.
