![“[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 soccer loses first league game to Pinewood
Lyndsey Mitchell (12) lines up for a goal kick in last year’s Kicks Against Cancer game. The boys and girls soccer teams played Eastside College Prep last Friday for this year’s games.
January 6, 2016
The varsity girls soccer team lost 1-3 to Pinewood in a home game today at 3:30 p.m. on Davis Field.
At the end of the first half of the game, the girls were losing 0-1 against their opponents. In the second half, although Sara Min (9) scored a goal for the team, Pinewood scored two more goals, bringing the game to an end with a score of 3-1.
“I thought it was great because it was my first goal ever, so it’s kind of like a confidence boost for me and that I hope I score later on,” Sara said.
Because there are so few upperclassmen, Iman Siadat, the head coach for the varsity girls soccer team, commented about how they are still growing and learning as a team.
“I thought the game was good for our first game of the season; obviously, [they] are a very young team this year and we’re developing for the future, so it is a developmental year,” Siadat said. “We’re going to have a difficult season in the sense that again, we’re very young and we’re going to be against a lot of competition that has a lot of upperclassmen.”
Anuva Mittal, who is a junior this year and is a co-captain of the team, reflected on her experience being a captain, as well as what she hopes for the team farther into the season.
“I feel really privileged that I get to lead the team; I watched my captains when I was a freshman and sophomore how they led and it’s just really nice that as a junior, I get to be a team leader, “ Anuva said. “We do have to rebuild the team because we have so few upperclassmen but we’re all just working together and we’re doing the best we can and hopefully next year, we’ll have a more solid foundation and we can do better.”
Varsity girls soccer play against Crystal Springs Uplands in an away game on Thursday at 3:30 p.m.
