![“[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)
Saying goodbye to the seniors
May 20, 2016
With this year’s graduation ceremony at the Mountain Winery quickly coming up on Thursday, we bid farewell yet again to another class of seniors.
The class of 2016 enjoyed some well-deserved downtime at Laguna Beach and Disneyland for the annual senior trip, also signalling the close of 187 high school careers.
In the midst of finals preparation and summer plans, the rest of the campus is left a bit satisfied and a bit lonely‒proud of seniors embarking on this new and exciting journey known as college but also reminiscent of previous times spent with this year’s graduating class.
To commemorate the time the seniors have spent here at Harker, Harker Aquila asked students and faculty about their favorite memories with the class of 2016.
“Mostly, their spirit is really over the top. I interact with seniors in orchestra and physics, and I feel like they’re always the most energetic and happy and excited and spirited,” Joanna Lin (10) said. “In orchestra, when we went to Sonoma, all the seniors sang a song for Christopher Florio, and it was the funniest thing.”
“Meeting the seniors in the robotics club because they’re cool and funny,” Ashwin Reddy (9) said.
With the seniors, I enjoyed my classes with them. They were so energetic,” Japanese teacher Yumiko Aridomi said. “Also, whenever we had class competitions, they won.”
“In Interact, when we go to community service, it’s really fun just to get to know each other,” Jacqueline Gao (10) said. “Luke [Wu] and Kevina [Xiao] are very fun and entertaining.”
“My favorite memory with the seniors was probably from basketball season because it the seniors on the basketball team were really encouraging,” Lily Wancewicz (9) said. “They were really great team leaders, and I was really nervous about playing when I first started, but they made me feel a lot more comfortable.”
