![“[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)
Varsity girls water polo loses to Homestead High School
Nina Levy (12) gets ready to pass the ball against Homestead last year. Varsity girls water polo lost to Homestead 3-2.
September 27, 2016
Varsity girls water polo lost to Homestead High School 3-2 in a home game today at 7 p.m.
In the first quarter, Homestead scored the only goal until halfway through the second quarter. Claudia Opris (10) scored the first goal for the Eagles in the second quarter.
The Mustangs were in the lead at 2-1 at the end of the second quarter but Harker held their opponents scoreless in the third quarter, and attempted a comeback in the fourth quarter behind a goal scored by Alicia Xu (9).
Although the girls lost today’s game, freshman Grace Hajjar noticed strengths and potential improvements regarding the girls’ play today.
“Our offense should have been a little stronger,” Grace said. “Our defense was good, but we should have shot more and scored more goals.”
Sarah Gonzales (12) agreed that the team’s defense was strong and that the offense could use some improvement, as well as adding more about teamwork.
“I think, during the game, we did a really good job of communicating with each other and working well on defense to make sure they didn’t score that many,” she said. “I think we could have taken some better shots, and on offense, actually looked and seen who was open.”
The varsity girls water polo team play against Monta Vista at home on Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
