![“[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: Rishi Maheshwari harbors a little-known passion for art
“I have a whiteboard at home. I love doodling on it, I love sketching with pencils and things like that. I find that is really relaxing. If I am really stressed out, that is what I do to destress for like five minutes, and then I go on and do my work,” Rishi Maheshwari (12) said.
January 7, 2017
Rishi Maheshwari (12) describes his room as an art museum, with walls covered in paintings of nature landscapes, portraits of people and cartoons.
“I learned oil painting by myself,” Rishi said. “I self-teach myself, because I have gone to art classes nearby for four to five years. I changed my mind. I decided to teach myself how to do the things that I am more interested in. In art class, they were forcing me to do everything. I had a few specifics I wanted to do, so I dropped that and brought my own supplies and experimented myself.”
Rishi uses the familiar world of art as an escape to relieve his stress.
“I have a whiteboard at home,” Rishi said. “I love doodling on it, I love sketching with pencils and things like that. I find that is really relaxing. If I am really stressed out, that is what I do to destress for like five minutes and then I go on and do my work.”
Rishi shared his love for art with children at a school run by the Jabala Action Research Organization in Kolkata, India for a week after freshman year. He saw the effects of his teachings while he was there.
“I was flipping through one of the kid’s sketchbooks and I saw his artistic skills really grow throughout the month that I was working there,” he said.
Despite his passion, Rishi tends to stay quiet about his artistic side. His friend Aman Navani (12) is one of the few people who has seen his work in person.
“I would say his art is one of his best qualities,” Aman Navani (12) said. “He keeps it hidden, he does not show many people his art, but if you have been to his house, you can see in his room there is just layers of art paintings stacked up. He did not really tell anyone about it, but I have been to his house and I have seen all of them and they are amazing.”
Another one of Rishi’s friends, Alexander Lam (12) agreed.
“His art is absolutely stunning,” Alexander Lam (12) said. “One thing I really like about Rishi is that even though he [is] a very driven person about his school work and academics, he is equally passionate about his art and his creative side is really brought through and shines through his artwork, which I have gotten a chance to see.”
