![Setter Emma Lee (9) sets the ball to the middle during the match against Pinewood on Sept. 12. “[I’m looking forward to] getting more skilled, learning more about my position and also becoming better friends with all of my teammates, Emma said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DSC_4917-2-1200x795.jpg)
![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasnt been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but Ive had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. Theres so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesnt exist, you can build it yourself, Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“Animation just clicked in a way. I had been interested in art, but that felt different. [Animation] felt like it had something behind it, whereas previous things felt surface level. I wasnt making that crazy of things, but just the process of doing it was much more enjoyable, Carter Chadwick (22) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screen-Shot-2022-08-16-at-9.44.08-AM-900x598.png)
![“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 its played such a major role in who Ive 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 Im [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)
![“[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)
![“Im 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 theres a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyones 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)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you arent going to get those championships if you arent 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)
![“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)
Humans of Harker: Lauren Liu enjoys reading web comics
“Star Trek has this one episode with a doomsday device. They hypothesize it’s from an undiscovered galaxy or part of the universe, and considering how destructive it is, it’s also likely that those who created it no longer exist. There’s the obvious commentary on potential nuclear holocausts, but it kind of also makes you think about consequences of your actions. Also, there’s something that people just think is haunting and beautiful about an advanced civilization being lost like that,” Lauren Liu (12) said.
February 7, 2017
For Lauren Liu (12), XKCD and SMVC webcomics create a perfect storm of romance, sarcasm, math and language.
Lauren explores the world of XKCD and SMBC web comics on the Internet when she’s not playing the cello as a part of the school orchestra or doing archery. Although she’s been reading XKCD throughout high school, she just started reading SMBC this past summer after someone introduced her to them. She especially enjoys the satire and sarcastic commentary these webcomics present.
“They’re webcomics about various things, mostly science and philosophy and stuff,” Lauren said. “There’s a lot of stuff about existential dread. It’s used as nature’s punishment for everything.”
Another part of the Internet that she finds interesting is fanfiction.
“Star Trek has this one episode with a doomsday device. They hypothesize it’s from an undiscovered galaxy or part of the universe, and considering how destructive it is, it’s also likely that those who created it no longer exist,” she said. “There’s the obvious commentary on potential nuclear holocausts, but it kind of also makes you think about consequences of your actions. Also, there’s something that people just think is haunting and beautiful about an advanced civilization being lost like that.”
Just like the scope of the webcomics she reads, Lauren’s interests cover a wide range of areas, from computer science and programming to music. After taking computer science classes at Harker and being exposed to the software Mathematica, Lauren uses the software to create visual representations of mathematical expressions.
“I’m going to try majoring in computer science,” Lauren said. “But mostly right now, it just means that I mess around a lot on Mathematica and use graphs to create pretty things.”
Lauren expresses herself through music as well. She has been a part of the school orchestra since third grade. Not only does she enjoy the music but also the feeling of community that orchestra brings her.
![“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-325x475.png)
![“[Photography] opened my eyes to things that don’t exist except for in that one-second exposure that your eyes can’t capture, writing can’t capture and even video can’t capture. I think it’s an obsession with the world. I’d look outside, and think, ‘These colors are beautiful,’ even though I really like working in black and white. It’s this overall obsession but the way I learn about myself. The camera, when it’s in my hand, teaches me about who I am, and the things that I don’t really know. It’s really taught me how to love, not just the people I’m with, but the overall world, Alex Mo (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Screen-Shot-2017-05-24-at-6.16.20-PM-475x311.png)
![“[I care about] diversity of opinion. Some people think you have to care about one thing only, and you cant care about other things, but I just like Harker because everyone has different perspectives and different ideas. If everyone cared about for example saving the environment or being really good at one sport, then the world wouldnt function, Colt McNealy (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Screen-Shot-2017-05-13-at-8.55.53-AM-475x317.png)
