![“[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: Diego Figueroa emits positive energy
“I hope to be remembered as the guy who was always in a great mood. Never really sad and just enjoying himself. I just want to be remembered as that guy whose aura was very positive and just because of him, the people around him were happy as well,” Diego Figueroa (12) said.
January 28, 2017
Public speaking is something Diego Figueroa (12) innately enjoys, whether it’s talking in front of a large crowd or something as simple as presenting in front of a classroom.
“I feel very in place [and] natural when I’m public speaking [and when I’m] communicating a message to somebody else,” Diego said.
His love for public speaking stems from his intrinsic love for talking to and meeting new people. He finds that connecting with people is something he enjoys doing on a daily basis.
“[Public speaking] kind of shaped my personality aspects of myself, where I try to be more outgoing, [meet] new people everyday, that kind of person,” he said. “I [like meeting new people]. It used to make me very uncomfortable but I try to do it enough where it becomes more natural now.”
He cites his friends as the people who inspired him to become more socially active, and go into business because of that.
“I feel like a lot of [business] comes with meeting new people, talking in front of larger crowds, and a lot of that does come from [my friends],” he said.
Living and enjoying every moment is Diego’s philosophy in life, which is a message that is evident when he talks to people.
“Obviously, I try to keep the future in mind, but I just feel like there’s certain mindsets like I’ve never been one of those people who thinks ‘grind out a certain portion of your life in the off-chance that later on it pays off,’ you know what I mean? I just feel like you should be able to enjoy every moment of your life in the sense of ‘What if today is my last day on Earth, would I be happy today?’” he said. “You only got one life, you know what I mean? I just feel like you should enjoy it.”
When asked what he defines success as, he once again turns to happiness and positivity as his main motivations.
“[I define success as] happiness. So I guess whatever image of happiness you have within yourself, you’d be a good man if it’s that in real life. That’s success,” he said.
Though the future is very unsure for him, one thing is certain: he wants to graduate high school having made a positive impression on people.
“I hope to be remembered as the guy who was always in a great mood,” he said. “Never really sad and just enjoying himself. I just want to be remembered as that guy whose aura was very positive and just because of him, the people around him were happy as well.”
