![“[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: Jay Paranjpe explores aquascaping to beautify fish tanks
![“[With aquascaping], you can build a whole ecosystem that looks beautiful, and you can also grow plants. I also find that interesting because whether I’m just adjusting a dosage schedule or trimming the plants, [I] have a piece of nature that I have built myself," Jay Paranjpe (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/JayParanjpe-BrandieVanLonden-900x705.jpg)
Brandie Van Londen
“[With aquascaping], you can build a whole ecosystem that looks beautiful, and you can also grow plants. I also find that interesting because whether I’m just adjusting a dosage schedule or trimming the plants, [I] have a piece of nature that I have built myself,” Jay Paranjpe (12) said.
December 7, 2016
For his 13th birthday, Jay received a 55-gallon fish tank the size of a bench table. However, he soon grew tired of his nondescript aquarium, so he decided to explore ways of creating a more exciting home for his fish. In his efforts to enhance his tank, he launched an interest in aquascaping.
“I got into [aquascaping] by first just plopping rocks and fish in [the tank],” he said. “I then realized, after looking at this kind of thing in my room every day, that I didn’t really like it. I didn’t think that it looked beautiful; it wasn’t at all what I thought a fish tank was to be like, so from then on it was pretty much trial and error.”
The tank also gave him a welcome opportunity to explore his childhood fascination with fish. As he discovered what specifically he did not like about his fish tank, he experimented with different options for decorations.
“I went online looking to solve problems about my tank and I discovered all these forums about planted aquariums. I discovered there was a niche called aquascaping, which is specifically orienting aquariums with plants to look pretty and to look beautiful,” Jay said.
After experimenting with placing different items in his aquarium, Jay learned about the many nuances of aquascaping.
“You can build a whole ecosystem that looks beautiful, and you can also grow plants. I also find that interesting because whether I’m just adjusting a dosage schedule or trimming the plants, [I] have a piece of nature that I have built myself,” Jay said.
His interest in nature also features in his favorite sport, archery.
“It is a good way to get out in nature and breathe some fresh air and focus on one thing for a long period of time,” he said. “It’s almost a little meditative.”
Jay finds satisfaction in seeing his efforts in practice translate to tangible results.
“If you are shooting competition or even practical use, if you’re hunting or whatever, you want to try and make sure you are accurate not necessarily precise,” he said. “You want me make sure that not just your arrows hit where you want them to hit, they all hit in the same kind of group. My favorite thing is to be able to put in a lot of practice and then see my grouping grow tighter and tighter, and then you can really physically see the practice you are putting in.”
