![“[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)
Standout Moments of the 2016 Emmys
Wikimedia Commons
Jimmy Fallon hosts the 2016 Emmys at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. The Emmy Awards Show gives recognition to excellence in the television industry.
September 21, 2016
To honor the actors bringing characters to life in starring roles and the team working behind the scenes of everyone’s favorite TV shows, the Emmys give awards to standouts in multiple television categories.
The 68th Primetime Emmy Awards were held Sept. 18, 2016, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California. Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the award ceremony was full of memorable moments, from record-breaking awards to breakout stars to entertaining commentary.
HBO’s TV show Game of Thrones was the most nominated drama series, with 23 in total. Some of the nominations leading to awards included “Outstanding Drama Series,” “Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series” and “Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series.” The show now has a total of 38 Emmys, a record-breaking number.
FX’s The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story won five awards, the most wins of the night. The show details OJ Simpson’s infamous murder trial. One of its awards was “Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special.”
American-Egyptian actor Rami Malek won his first Emmy for his lead role in Mr. Robot. He had previously acted in TV shows and movies such as Gilmore Girls and Night at the Museum.
“I think [Rami Malek] really plays his character well, as somewhat of an introvert and sociopath” Jerry Chen (11) said. “From his acting, I couldn’t tell that the actor himself wasn’t actually just a sociopathic psycho.”
In the comedic acting awards, Jeffrey Tambor won for a second time for his role in Transparent. Additionally, Julia Louis-Dreyfus won for the fifth year in the row for her acting in Veep.
In addition to the awards, the people who presented and spoke added an important element to the show. With all the presenters and winners many different voices were heard throughout the show.
Many speakers mocked presidential candidate Donald Trump, though he was not present, throughout the award show. Host Jimmy Kimmel joked about Mark Burnett, who created Trump’s former reality show, The Apprentice.
“Thanks to Mark Burnett, we don’t have to watch reality shows anymore, because we’re living in one,” Kimmel said.
Alan Yang is a screenwriter, producer and director, well known for working on Parks and Recreation and Master of None. Justin Xie (11) distinctly remembered Alan Yang’s comment during the show.
“I really liked [Yang’s] speech about how Asian parents should give their kids cameras instead of violins,” Justin said. “It was very entertaining.”
Another notable moment of the show was when the child actors of Netflix’s Stranger Things rode around the venue on bicycles to hand out peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to audience members. This event was rather unexpected and unlike previous undertakings performed at award shows.
The Emmys had 11.3 million viewers this year, a five percent drop from the 2015 Emmys. However, those who watched could still count on witty and unique remarks and speeches in addition to the traditional awards.
