![“[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)
Students express themselves and spread personal insight through individual blogs
Arushee Bhoja’s (10) uses her blog, Unadorned Gifts, as an outlet for her emotions. Many upper students run blogs in their free time.
October 11, 2016
A photograph of two hands covered in glitter appears on a computer screen followed by a field of flowers with the sun shining above the horizon. The thoughts of the blogger, Arushee Bhoja (10), sit in between these photos as blocks of text.
Blogging in the 21st century takes on many different forms. From social networking websites like Tumblr to the customizable microblogs provided by websites like WordPress, many use blogging as a form of expression as well as general hobby.
For students, the idea of blogging serves a different purpose. Some upper school students actively run blogs, but their individual blogs play differing parts in their life as well as in the bigger community of blogs.
Arushee shares photographs, poems and other works on her blog, unadornedgifts.blogspot.com. She mainly uses her blog as an outlet for releasing emotions.
“I started blogging a few years,” she said. “I wanted to talk about my thoughts and emotions for the world to see.”
Blogging gives many students a platform for expression, whether for their own use or to brighten other people’s days.
Jeffrey Yang (9) uses his blog, delayingthefuture.blogspot.com, to document important events in his life as well as to express his feelings.
“I just felt like I really wanted to share my ideas [and] have a medium to express myself freely,” Jeffrey said. “My friend really pushed me to write this blog, and they were like, ‘You should just express your emotions and what you think about the world.’”
Adhya Hoskote (9) runs smilescentral.blogspot.com, a blog dedicated to creating and maintaining happiness in individuals that read her posts.
“I think that writing to change people’s lives appealed to me, so I put my words and I was encouraged to start a blog and I did, and I got a lot of good feedback,” Adhya said. “I think it’s to bring a sense of joy into people’s lives and remind them that it’s not all bad and just keep them optimistic as much as they can.”
Teachers and schools around the country have also incorporated blogs into their curricula due to benefits like easy access to students’ work and thoughts. Some teachers at the Pennsylvania State University have replaced notebooks, pen and paper with student blogs.
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on October 11, 2016.
