![“[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)
Boys golf makes history: qualifies for NorCal Qualifier Tournament
Provided by Coach Ie-Chen Cheng
The golf team poses for a picture after the tournament. The team qualified for the Nor Cal Qualifier Tournament through their placement in the CCS tournament.
May 20, 2016
The upper school boys golf team placed second in CCS finals after a day-long tournament at Rancho Canada, Carmel on Monday.
For the first time in Harker history, the boys qualified for the NorCal Qualifier tournament, which will be held next Monday in Salinas, Calif. The team also won the academic honors award for having the highest cumulative GPA in the league.
Senior Dakota McNealy shot a 71, six strokes over the first-place scorer in the league, and placed fifth place overall. Other team members include Ryan Vaughan (11), who tied for 11th place with a score of 72, and juniors Avi Khemani and Sandip Nirmel, both of whom tied for 17th place with scores of 73. Colt McNealy (11) shot a 77 while Scout McNealy (9) shot an 80, placing 40th and 52th, respectively.
The team practiced at the Rancho Canada course in their preparation for the tournament
“We practiced at Rancho every Saturday to get used to the course,” Victor Shin (10), another member of the team who did not participate in the tournament, said.
The team is now specifically preparing for the Northern California Qualifier Tournament, including planning a trip to the familiarize themselves with the course.
“We all developed our own practice plan for the next week that will best prepare us each individually. Then, on Sunday, we’ll drive down there and look at the course so that we learn the best way to play the course,” Avi said.
The team will play at Salinas next Monday in the Northern California Qualifier Tournament.
