![“[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)
This week’s events included the results of the freshmen elections, an assembly featuring Austin Whitney, and the freshmen L.I.F.E. wellness session with the senior panel.
“I was really enthused by the freshmen wellness because every freshmen was involved in the survey that we took and the questions that we used came from all of the freshmen. The senior panel, that was new, they communicated back and forth very well,” said Upper School Division Head Butch Keller. “We could have gone on for hours. The senior panel was really engaged and the freshmen were really engaged.”
Freshmen voted for their student council on September 30 and the results were released on the morning of October 3. During the school meeting, four new members of the student council were introduced: Sarah Bean as president, Nikita Mittal as vice-president, Vivian Isenberg as secretary, and as David Lin as treasurer. While student councils of past years have been male-dominated, this year’s freshman council stands as the only one with a female majority.
After the “indoor recess” that took place on October 5, sophomores, juniors, and seniors attended an assembly with guest speaker Austin Whitney. Whitney became paralyzed after a drunk driving accident the summer after his senior year; however, a functioning exoskeleton allowed him to walk across the stage at his graduation from UC Berkeley four years later. Whitney shared his experiences about drunk driving and his attitude and approach to life with Upper School students.
All freshmen attended a L.I.F.E. assembly on October 5 that revolved around a question and answer session with the senior panel, which comprised of nine seniors. Freshmen received advice from the older students and asked questions based on topics such as homework, sleep, and finals.
More events to look forward to next week include the Student Directed Showcase (SDS) auditions, the freshmen community service trip, and the annual school-wide picnic.
