![“[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)
Snapchat Geofilters introduced to campus
Alisa Su (10) poses in a selfie with the new Harker Geotags that were released last month.
May 5, 2016
Upper school student Alisa Su created two Geofilters on Snapchat that can only be accessed on the Saratoga campus.
According to Snapchat, Geofilters appear in thousands of places around the world. Geofilters are designs that indicate the area someone is in when they take a “Snap.” Swipe right or left on the screen to add colored filters, the current time, weather, speed overlays or Geofilters to pictures and videos.
Alisa Su (10), designer of both geotag filters, submitted her designs and received approval for her creations.
“It’s a fairly simple process” Alisa said. “I created different designs using the app Illustrator on my laptop. First, you need to create your own artwork that has no copyrighted logos or anything. Then you submit it on the Snapchat site and you need to answer a few simple questions. It took about a month for mine to get approved.”
Alisa created two unique geofilters for Snapchat that show up only on the Harker campus.
Snapchat states that Geofilter creators need to meet specific guidelines: the design cannot contain logos or unoriginal artwork, it needs to be visually appealing, and it cannot have photographs or hashtags.
“The rules that Snapchat enforced for Geofilters are pretty easy to meet” Alisa said. “I really like designing and creating little logos like this, so it was easy for my filter to get approved. Some people have to keep resubmitting in order to get a confirmation. I got lucky because both my filters were accepted the first time around.”
Students around campus have been using Alisa’s Geofilters on campus by swiping left or right after taking a photograph or video on Snapchat. Some send personal Snapchats with the filter to specific people, or post on their Snap Stories, which are visible to one’s friends for 24 hours.
“My friends from other schools are jealous of the Harker filters” Mitchell Kole (10) said. “Most other schools’ filters aren’t as creative as ours. They’re usually just the school’s name in a common font. Ours are cool.”
Alisa plans to submit more Geofilters in the near future for students to enjoy.
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on May 4, 2016.
