![“[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)
Seniors commit to collegiate athletics
Shannon Richardson (12) jumps to spike a ball during a tournament match. She committed to play beach volleyball at Stanford Univesity.
May 7, 2016
Four seniors, Shannon Richardson, Johnathon Keller, Oisin Coveney and Dakota McNealy, have decided to pursue athletics at their respective colleges. These athletes have been playing their respective sports since they were young, from as early as two years old. Shannon, Johnathon and Dakota have committed to their college sports, while Oisin will try to join the team as a walk-on. Each of these seniors captained his or her varsity squad this year during the regular season. These seniors feel that playing at the upper school has provided them with opportunities to bond with their teammates and build a strong foundation in their sports.
8-year volleyball career heads to Stanford
Shannon Richardson (12) committed to playing beach volleyball at Stanford University. In addition to leading the girl’s volleyball team as a co-captain this year, Shannon also served as a director of the athletic affairs committee. Shannon trained for beach volleyball at the City Beach Volleyball Club. “I have played sports at Harker for as long as I can remember,” Shannon said. “I started volleyball in 4th grade, where my passion for the sport began. The opportunities I received in lower and middle school provided the foundation for my love of athletics.” During Shannon’s high school career, she eclipsed the national averages with 858 kills, 161 aces and a .178 hitting percentage.
Wide receiver reaches starting lineup
Johnathon Keller (12) joins Claremont-McKenna University’s football team as a wide receiver this fall. In his senior year, Johnathon accumulated 39 receptions for 454 yards and 6 touchdowns with an average of 50.4 yards per game. “Harker has helped me throughout high school a lot with a lot of one-on-one specific training,” Johnathon said. “Because Harker is not such a big school, there has been a lot of opportunities for me to really learn from the coaches and individually learn what I was doing right and wrong. Harker has helped me create a strong work ethic not only on the field, but more importantly, the classroom.” Johnathon will start his career off with the Claremont Stags against the Lewis and Clark Pioneers on Sept. 10.
Soccer player seeks to compete at SMU
Oisin Coveney (12) will attempt to join Southern Methodist University’s (SMU) soccer or football team as a walk-on tryout. “After the football season this year, I think I did well enough that I could make a case for myself at a football team, and if not, I’m going to work on stuff this summer and see what I can do with the soccer team,” Oisin said. Oisin captained the varsity soccer squad this year as well as playing for the football team and serving as a director of the athletic affairs committee. As kicker and punter on the football team, Oisin scored 49 extra point attempts and accumulated 2974 kickoff yards. Oisin played on the varsity soccer team for all four years, and started his soccer career at the young age of 2.
Black belt, hockey captain tees off at Stanford
Dakota McNealy (12) will attend Stanford University in the fall to play golf. In addition to playing golf, Dakota also captained the Junior Sharks AA hockey team for four seasons and received his first-degree black belt in taekwondo. “[My favorite part of golf at Harker] is just the overall experience of being with guys that you know and playing on the same team as them,” Dakota said. “It’s rare in golf because it’s an individual sport, so I really enjoyed that part of it.” This year, Dakota played on Harker’s golf team with his younger brothers Colt McNealy (11) and Scout McNealy (9), and will join his older brother, Maverick McNealy (‘13), another Harker alumnus, on the Stanford golf team for the 2016-2017 season.
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on May 4, 2016.
