![“[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)
Soccer players sign letters of intent
Provided by Noor Singh
Seniors Kailee Gifford, Lyndsey Mitchell, Joelle Anderson all sign to their respective colleges to play soccer during National Signing Day. Kailee will attend UC Berkeley, Lyndsey will play at Nebraska Wesleyan, and Joelle at Pepperdine University.
February 27, 2017
Seniors Kailee Gifford, Joelle Anderson and Lyndsey Mitchell each signed official contracts to play for college soccer programs Feb 1.
Kailee signed to University of California Berkeley and will play for the Bears this fall.
“I fell in love with [soccer] 14 years ago, and not once have I regretted it, not even for a second,” she said in a Facebook post this afternoon. “Thank you to everyone who has helped me turn this dream into reality, I am blessed beyond measure.”
Also staying in California, Joelle will play at Pepperdine University. She has played on the girls soccer team for the Upper School the past four years and looks forward to continue building her soccer skills. Outside of Harker, she has trained and played for an outside club.
“I’m very excited to start a new journey in the fall at Pepperdine, and I’m really excited to meet my new teammates and get to know them,” Joelle said.
She sees college soccer as the next step in her soccer career.
“I hope to maybe play professional soccer when I’m done with college, so that’s my main goal, but if not, I just hope I can continue to play soccer after college,” she said.
Joelle Anderson (12) kicks the ball towards the goal line. She will play at Pepperdine University this fall for girls soccer.
Lyndsey will play at Nebraska Wesleyan University as a Prairie Wolf this fall. She has also played for Harker for the past four years, and additionally, plays outside club soccer too.
“I hope to have a lot of fun and meet new friends in college through soccer and I want to learn new skills. I think I can develop new skills in college soccer because it is a whole new level,” Lindsey said.
She hopes her college coaching staff will facilitate her development.
“I’m really excited because the coaching is really specific to your position, and I’m really excited for that because I like developing my defending skills and my attacking skills separately and really focusing in separately on them,” she said.
All three players will play their first college seasons this upcoming fall.
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on February 21, 2017.
