![“[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: Tina Li explores living internationally
Kevin Huang
“Music is literally my closest friend. I can play anything. When I’m sad, I can play sad pieces. It’s a way of expressing myself and it’s also a way for me to understand myself. I can see how bad my mood is from piano,” Tina Li (12) said.
March 4, 2017
Tina Li (12) grew up in Canada and studied in China prior to moving to the United States and joining Harker for her junior year.
Living in three different environments has allowed Tina to better appreciate the outdoors as well as different cultures. Tina enjoys trying new things in order to see what activities she is most passionate about.
“My passions are always changing, but once I know what I want to do, I just focus on that,” Tina said.
In Canada, her house was surrounded by nature as she lived near a beach and a park. This sparked an interest and love for nature in Tina. Shortly after, she moved to Shanghai and started her own club to raise awareness for pollution and environmental preservation.
Joining Harker as a junior, Tina felt more freedom in her academic decisions. Unlike the school she attended in China, Tina could choose classes and levels based on her passions and interests.
“[In China] you basically turn in your scores and they give you a school that matches. A thousand people got the same score like 22,000. They are the same,” she said. “I just hated that. I didn’t want to be one of a thousand people. I wanted to make a difference.”
Tina enjoys the arts as she loves playing different instruments, and she also loves to dance. Both her years at Harker, Tina performed in the annual dance show. She tried out many different styles including jazz, hip hop and ballet. Tina started by playing the piano and now she also plays the guitar and the violin.
“Music is literally my closest friend. I can play anything. When I’m sad, I can play sad pieces. It’s a way of expressing myself and it’s also a way for me to understand myself. I can see how bad my mood is from piano,” Tina said.
Her family has always been supportive of Tina and has encouraged her to take risks in her academic choices as well as in her extracurricular activities. Tina’s father has always been an influential figure in her life. Not only in school, but also in her personal life, Tina always remembers one piece of advice her father gave her.
“Don’t say no to a thing if you haven’t tried it,” Tina said.
Tina has lived by this advice and has always tried different activities before choosing what matches her interests the best.
