![Setter Emma Lee (9) sets the ball to the middle during the match against Pinewood on Sept. 12. “[I’m looking forward to] getting more skilled, learning more about my position and also becoming better friends with all of my teammates, Emma said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DSC_4917-2-1200x795.jpg)
![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasnt been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but Ive had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. Theres so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesnt exist, you can build it yourself, Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“Animation just clicked in a way. I had been interested in art, but that felt different. [Animation] felt like it had something behind it, whereas previous things felt surface level. I wasnt making that crazy of things, but just the process of doing it was much more enjoyable, Carter Chadwick (22) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screen-Shot-2022-08-16-at-9.44.08-AM-900x598.png)
![“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 its played such a major role in who Ive 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 Im [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)
![“[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)
![“Im 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 theres a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyones 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)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you arent going to get those championships if you arent 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)
![“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)
Harker TSA attends State Conference
Sophia Luo (12) smiles as she returns to her seat after receiving her first-place medal in Career Preparation. Sophia founded Harker TSA in her sophomore year.
March 23, 2016
Harker’s Technology Student Association (TSA) competed at 2016 California TSA State Conference from March 18 to 20 at California State University, Bakersfield.
The two-day competition took place on Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. After traveling to Bakersfield by car on Friday, students competed in all competitive events and attended the awards ceremony on Saturday. Competitors returned from Bakersfield on Sunday.
Fifteen upper school students participated in this year’s conference: freshmen Alexander Young, Kaushik Shivakumar and Anna Wang; sophomores Derek Kuo, Adrian Chu, Sharon Yan, Derek Yen, Gary Tsai, Kevin Xu and Sumer Kohli; and seniors Kevin Ke, Belinda Yan, Cynthia Hao, Karen Qi and Sophia Luo. These competitors competed in over 30 different events, with topics ranging from Debating Technological Issues to Biotechnology Design to Music Production.
“It’s basically interdisciplinary fields that we learn about through doing competitions,” said Sophia, club founder and Board Council member. “We mainly learn about how technology affects different areas of the world.”
To prepare for this year’s conference, competitors created schedules at the beginning of the year that they tried to follow. Officers checked in with members at various checkpoints to ascertain that members were prepared. Based on past competitive history, officers expected excellence at this year’s competition as well.
TSA is an organization that aims to develop students’ skills in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) while also providing leadership chances and networking opportunities. With the motto “Learning to Live In A Technical World,” it hopes to foster personal growth, leadership and opportunities by allowing members to apply and integrate STEM concepts through co-curricular activities, competitions and related programs.
“What makes TSA stand out is that it focuses more on career exploration and interdisciplinary fields rather than purely on STEM,” Sophia said.
For the freshmen attending the State conference, this was their first TSA competition.
“I just wanted to go to the State conference and see what it’s like,” said Anna, who competed in Video Digital Production and Engineering Design. “I was looking forward to meeting new people and seeing other people’s work.”
Winners at this conference qualify to attend the 2016 National TSA Conference, which will be held from June 28 to July 2 in Nashville, Tennessee.
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on March 23, 2016.
