![“[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)
Humans of Harker: Misha Ivkov practices a winning mentality
![“In [competitions], there’s a winner, there’s a loser, and it’s just—can you be the winner?” Misha Ivkov (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSC_4771-900x596.jpg)
“In [competitions], there’s a winner, there’s a loser, and it’s just—can you be the winner?” Misha Ivkov (12) said.
December 3, 2016
Misha Ivkov has been playing water polo since seventh grade, but his outlook on the game changed entirely with one improbable victory.
“Tenth grade. We had a game against Willow Glen, who is two leagues above us now, and we were not expected to win at all; they go to CCS consistently,” Misha said. “But we managed to pull it out and get a victory, so that’s my favorite moment of water polo. It really made me admire how much things can change between games.”
Looking back, Misha believes that that game reshaped his perception of competitive water polo.
“[It] made me realize we could beat anyone. Not just the teams that we consistently beat, like Santa Clara, Cupertino—we knew we could beat those—but we always try to get a harder challenge,” Misha said. “That Willow Glen game just demonstrated that we could potentially beat those teams that we tried to face.”
Moving into this year, Misha has found himself even more invested in water polo.
“I get in the zone just by being there. Over time, it’s gotten just more of a reflex motion than anything,” Misha said. “When I get to the pool, it’s ‘time to focus, I need to do this, we can win.’”
Misha believes that this mentality came about as a result of their strong positioning to qualify for CCS this year. This 2016 season, the boys’ water polo team made CCS for the first time in Harker history.
Misha believes that joining water polo was one of the most impactful decisions he’s made throughout high school.
“It’s been my sport all four years, it’s been a motivator for me to exercise because of practice every single day, not missing it, and I think that’s really important, to have something that really motivates you in life, and I think having the decision to play water polo with my team really helped,” Misha said.
Misha’s love of competition extends to his interest in math. He became more serious about math competitions starting in seventh grade, eventually joining Math Club in high school.
“My parents really sparked my interest in math. Back in fourth, fifth grade, they really pushed me to be better at it,” he said. “Because of that, I think it really helped me to love the subject more and to delve deeper into it.”
Since then, he has participated in contests such as the Caltech Harvey Mudd Math Competition to hone his math skills. His interest in the subject has grown so much that he is considering majoring in math in college.
“I think [math]’s a mental activity and I just really enjoy doing it because it really makes me think, really makes me observe and really makes me look more deeply into a problem,” he said.
Misha’s interest in both math contests and water polo results from a competitive bent.
“In both, there’s a winner, there’s a loser, and it’s just—can you be the winner?” he said.
