![“[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: Justin Culpepper challenges himself with swimming
![“[I wish people cared about] not worrying so much. Everyone seems to worry so much, here at our school especially. I wish people would see the big picture sometimes. It seems that everyone has their track to be honest," Justin Culpepper (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/justin-900x596.jpg)
“[I wish people cared about] not worrying so much. Everyone seems to worry so much, here at our school especially. I wish people would see the big picture sometimes. It seems that everyone has their track to be honest,” Justin Culpepper (12) said.
December 22, 2016
When Justin Culpepper (12) first joined the swim team, he aimed to be the fastest swimmer there. But along his path to become the best, he gained more than just speed and skill: he found a team, where he made some of his closest friends.
“It brought me into a different group of people that I didn’t expect to be as friendly as they were,” he said.
His efforts paid off when he qualified to CCS through a team relay event last year.
“I was kind of overwhelmed the first time I went, but it’s nice to go there,” he said. “It’s definitely an experience. You get to watch some really fast swimmers. [Swim meets] are a lot of sitting around actually, but then there’s this short period of intense work.”
Justin spends two hours per day, six days per week practicing swimming at DeAnza College, which limits the time he has for school work after practice.
“I have to plan it out carefully at the beginning of the week,” he said. “Most of the times it’s a lot of blocking out time for stuff and using up school time as well to work on homework.”
Despite his hectic schedule, Justin values the down time in life. He makes sure to spend time each day relaxing after practice.
“[I wish people cared about] not worrying so much,” he said. “Everyone seems to worry so much, here at our school especially. I wish people would see the big picture sometimes. It seems that everyone has their track to be honest.”
In spite of the competitiveness associated with individual sports, Justin relishes the camaraderie that his team shares.
“There’s a lot of competition between other people and also against yourself, and so every event is always against yourself, trying to beat your previous time,” he said. “But also there’s something about working together as a team, even though you’re individually trying to improve yourself, you’re still working together through sets and workouts.”
In fact, his most memorable moments are spent unwinding at the pool with his friends, not competing under high-pressure situations.
“Not a long time ago, we were swimming at the club, and a bunch of my friends were joking around and we raced,” he said. “It’s just fun to race against them, and it doesn’t really matter who wins or loses.”
