![“[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)
Freshmen excel on varsity teams
Katelyn Vo (9) follows through on her swing as she tees off at a varsity girls golf game against Sacred Heart Preparatory at Los Lagos Golf Course on Sept. 21. Katelyn and fellow freshman Larissa Tyagi are the only freshmen on the varsity girls golf team.
October 11, 2016
As fall sports teams head into their league seasons, freshmen participate in not only junior varsity teams but also the varsity cross country, football, girls golf, girls tennis, girls volleyball and girls water polo teams.
Cross-Country
The freshmen on the cross-country team are Martin Bourdev, Evan Cheng, Rishi Dange, Richard Hu, Grant Miner, Sameer Prakash and Mihir Sharma.
“There was no cross-country team at my old school. It’s my first time,” Martin said. “It’s pretty fun to get to know people and go places to run.”
The cross-country team next runs at the Monterey Bay Invitational at Toro Park in Salinas, California, on Saturday.
Football
The freshmen on the varsity football team are Griffin Crook, Phillip Han and Devin Keller.
“Everyone’s pretty nice, and junior varsity did well, except a lot of people got injured, so then the junior varsity season was canceled, so now we’re all on varsity,” Phillip said. “I was starting-string center, but then I got injured.”
The team next plays an away game against Big Valley Christian School on Friday.
Girls Golf
The freshmen on the girls golf team are Larissa Tyagi and Katelyn Vo.
“At first I was kind of scared because everyone’s older except for me and Katelyn, but everyone’s really nice, and our team is really strong, and we bond as a team,” Larissa said. “Varsity golf is really fun, and I think the golfing is fun, but it’s mainly the team atmosphere and bonding, like all the upperclassmen are so nice and so nurturing.”
The team plays next against Notre Dame High School at Los Lagos Golf Course tomorrow.
Girls Tennis
The freshmen on the girls tennis team are Christina Bettink, Rachel Broweleit, Amanda Cheung, Emma Li, Gina Partridge, Sara Lynn Sullivan and Srivani Vegesna.
“I talk to upperclassmen, and I can be with their friends. I can talk with their friends,” Srivani said. “I really do enjoy it. But sometimes it can get pretty rigorous with a lot of the Harker academics.”
The team next plays an away match against Menlo School tomorrow.
Girls Volleyball
The lone freshman on the varsity girls volleyball team is Emily Cheng.
“Because I’m the only freshman, I don’t really have a close buddy to be with; I have to mingle with the [upperclassmen],” Emily said. “It gives me a chance to meet new people and especially the upperclassmen. Everyone’s really encouraging and supportive, and it gives me a chance to improve my skill.”
The team next plays an away match against Menlo School tomorrow.
Girls Water Polo
The freshmen on the girls water polo team are Grace Hajjar, Cassandra Ruedy, Anika Tiwari and Alicia Xu.
“I picked [water polo] up this year, and it’s really fun and aggressive, and it’s a great sport,” Grace said. “We’ve lost games and we’ve won games; we can definitely do better. Some days we have off days because we’re tired, and other days we do really well, so hopefully we can get to CCS.”
The team next plays an away game against Wilcox High School tomorrow.
“This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on October 11, 2016.“
