![Setter Emma Lee (9) sets the ball to the middle during the match against Pinewood on Sept. 12. “[I’m looking forward to] getting more skilled, learning more about my position and also becoming better friends with all of my teammates, Emma said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DSC_4917-2-1200x795.jpg)
![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasnt been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but Ive had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. Theres so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesnt exist, you can build it yourself, Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“Animation just clicked in a way. I had been interested in art, but that felt different. [Animation] felt like it had something behind it, whereas previous things felt surface level. I wasnt making that crazy of things, but just the process of doing it was much more enjoyable, Carter Chadwick (22) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screen-Shot-2022-08-16-at-9.44.08-AM-900x598.png)
![“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 its played such a major role in who Ive 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 Im [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)
![“[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)
![“Im 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 theres a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyones 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)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you arent going to get those championships if you arent 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)
![“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)
Sophomore Future Problem Solvers place second at international conference
Provided by Tiffany Wong
The FPS team smiles on stage with their second place trophy. The four students that competed placed second out of 78 teams at the international conference.
August 26, 2016
Four sophomores placed second in the middle division at the Future Problem Solvers (FPS) international conference at Michigan State University in Lansing, Michigan, from June 1 to June 5.
Sophomores Sara Min, Kelly Shen, Taylor Lam and Tiffany Wong were the original team members, but because Taylor could not attend the international conference, Elaine Zhai (8) took her place in the team event.
The team placed second out of 78 groups in the middle division with their packet for the conference’s topic, “energy of the future.”
“The problems we were dealing with and the solution we were writing were aimed towards finding sources of renewable energy,” Tiffany said. “The energy of the future topic revolved around this island and this type of trees, e-daisies, and they were having some problem with generating power for the island because there was such a large population, and there were environmentalists trying to move the trees.”
An event consists of participants brainstorming potential problems and solutions dealing with the future scene, a story set in the future consisting of a main problem.
“We had to read the future scene and identify 16 challenges that would be threats for the people on the island,” Tiffany said. “We had to pick a main challenge and write 16 solutions to that challenge and then pick one solution and write an action plan, an essay, detailing how that solution solves your challenges and benefits the people in the future scene.”
To qualify for the international conference, teams had to place at least first or second in their respective age division at the regional level. The upper school team placed second in their state competition.
This piece was originally published in the pages of the Winged Post on Aug 26, 2016.
