![“[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)
Upper school students compete in International Chemistry Olympiad
Provided by Derek Yen
Derek Yen (10) and Linus Li (10) pose after a challenging chemistry olympiad. The the 28th International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) took place in Tbilisi, Georgia from July 23 to August 1.
May 5, 2016
Two Harker students, sophomores Linus Li and Derek Yen, competed at Las Positas College in Livermore, CA on April 23 for a chance to travel to the 28th International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) in Tbilisi, Georgia from July 23 to August 1.
Selection for the U.S. team comprises two examinations. Students first take the local Chemistry Olympiad exam, from which up to two students per school advance if they meet the qualification score. The next test qualified students take is the National Chemistry Olympiad exam. From that pool, 20 are picked to attend a two-week study camp at the United States Air Force Academy in June, from which four will be selected to represent the U.S.
Harker has traditionally performed well on the IChO. In 2009, the school sent three competitors to the national round, breaking the school limit of two qualifiers due to their outstanding performances.
This year, Linus and Derek qualified for the national exam, while sophomore Shaya Zarkesh passed as Harker’s alternate.
“I thought it was really cool,” Linus said. “It was really fun to take it because then I knew how prepared I was for the AP Chemistry exam, and I just really like chemistry in general.”
The competition was initially scheduled to take place in Karachi, Pakistan, from July 20 to 29. This year would have been Pakistan’s first year of hosting the IChO. Due to concerns about safety in the country, the U.S. team originally chose not to compete. The government also withdrew its support of the competition, ultimately resulting in the location change.
“The United States Department of State did not allow high school students to travel to Pakistan due to safety reasons,” chemistry teacher Robbie Korin said. “Other western nations may have followed. Pakistan gave up the right to host, and Georgia was chosen.”
The IChO is an annual competition between talented chemistry students from around the world. Each nation is permitted to send a team of four individuals, which is tested on their chemistry knowledge in a laboratory practical and written examination that are each five hours long.
“Topics are mostly first-year college-level questions but may include organic [chemistry] and biochemistry,” Korin said.
Linus and Derek will learn their scores on May 6th and whether they will advance to take the two-week study camp in the IChO.
This article was originally published in the pages of the Winged Post on May 4, 2016.
