![“[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)
Four years of sporadic work, and it is almost over. “It” being the Upper School Homecoming tradition, at least for the class of 2012.
With the rally this year held a day early and the introduction of a float and parade, the seniors made their last bow on a slightly unusual note. The rally day and senior dress-up day were swapped to evade the rain, which did pour as predicted.
“I wish the rally could have been on Friday, because, as a senior, it’s kind of what we’ve always done. But, it’s really fun and class of 2012 has dominated, so I’m really happy,” Nicole Dalal (12) said.
Christophe Pellissier’s (12) favorite part of Homecoming occurred on Thursday: “I have to say the rally–you know, seniors winning and all that.”
Although Andrée Beals (12) was too busy to help in preparations, she appreciated the efforts of others and noted that she especially enjoyed watching skits.
“It’s been a lot more spirited than it has in previous years,” she said. “Yesterday it felt like we were finally seniors for some strange reason.”
Nicole said she has not experienced that feeling.
“It hasn’t hit me yet, but I’m sure I’ll be sad or upset at the end of the night,” she said.
Kushal Ranjan (12) does not buy into the hype of the final Homecoming.
“I think that I can definitely see the results of the three years that the senior class has had together so far in terms of class unity and spirit, and I’m also seeing a lot of effort from the other classes,” he said. “But senioritis is almost making it feel like less of a big deal.”
Senioritis or not, much of the school will gather this evening to watch the football teams face off against the Cupertino Pioneers.
Senior Asia Howard looks forward to “hearing the results of who won what event at the game.” The next time that she cheers for her class at a Homecoming rally, she will be a freshman once again.
