![“[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)
Boys water polo defeats Milpitas High School on senior night 20-4
Alex Wang (11) passes the ball. The boys won the match against Milpitas 20-4.
October 14, 2016
Varsity boys water polo defeated Milpitas High School 20-4 on their senior night yesterday. Seniors Arnav Tandon, Misha Ivkov, Arben Gutierrez-Bujari, Peter Wu and Misha Tseitliani were honored in a ceremony before the game.
“It was really nice to see everyone out here. It means a lot to me, especially because it’s my last home game,” team captain Arnav said. “It’s been a really good four years, and I’m going to miss this pool.”
The team held a commanding lead over Milpitas the entire game, finishing the first half 13-1. At the beginning of the second half, Arben was switched into the goalie position and goalie Misha took over Arben’s position.
“It’s really heartening that people know that we exist. It’s really good that people actually came out to our game and got to watch water polo,” said Misha. “[The game] went very well: we destroyed them from start to finish, really. Even the goals they scored on us were because of tactical play. It was a really good game and a good primer for our next one.”
Assistant coach Victor Adler also thought the game went well for the boys and wants them to continue the pace as they close out the season.
“They played well. I think probably at the midway mark [of the season] there was a step up in intensity and seriousness,” Adler said. “[We’ve had] much better defense and much higher intensity, so we need to maintain that because we have a big game left [against Lynbrook].”
Senior Ray Song went out to support his friends on the water polo team.
“I’m good friends with a couple of them, and they were all looking forward to this because water polo is one of the more low-key sports,” Ray said. “This was a really good chance for people to come out and support their games and they did a pretty good job, so it’s exciting.”
The boys now prepare to face Lynbrook High School in an away game on Oct. 20.
