![“[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)
Girls Tennis Fall Season Recap
Connie Miao (12) hits a backhand during practice. Connie was the only senior on the girls golf team this year.
November 20, 2016
The girls tennis team finished their regular season with a 4-4 league record and a 10-4 overall record. They beat Presentation High School and Pinewood School both 6-1 as their last games in the regular season to qualify for CCS. The Eagles then played their senior night game against Sacred Heart on Nov. 3, honoring Connie Miao, the only senior on the team. The CCS playoffs began on Nov. 8.
“Well I’ve been injured for a lot of it [the season] but I think the team has done a great job picking up my slack and not playing because I hurt myself in the first match but yeah I think the season has been fun, we have a lot of new people on the team so it’s been good to get some new faces on the team. I think we’ve definitely had some tough matches, some really close losses and also some really close wins which has been great, I think everyone has been really willing to compete and try their best in every match which is really great because I mean that’s all you can really ask. The competitive spirit on the team is very high, which is very good. I’m kinda sad, I’m going to miss Connie, her humor, I’m going to miss that humor. But you know I’ve been playing with her for three years now and it’s going to be definitely a different team without her next year, I’m going to be sad,” Elizabeth Schick (11) said.
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on November 17, 2016.
