![“[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: Shekar Ramaswamy blazes his own trail
“My work ethic speaks a lot about my personality. They’re pretty connected honestly in that a work ethic is a very personal thing. You don’t necessarily need to broadcast it. It’s just the idea of staying in your own lane, doing your own thing, getting your work done. Both my personality and work ethic are very much independent: staying focused on the task at hand and doing the best you can and, after that, just having fun,” Shekar Ramaswamy (12) said.
March 21, 2017
Amidst the inundation of various responsibilities, Shekar Ramaswamy (12) worked, often behind-the-scenes, to keep himself afloat—optimistically paddling through “just another day in paradise.”
“My work ethic speaks a lot about my personality,” he said. “They’re pretty connected honestly in that a work ethic is a very personal thing. You don’t necessarily need to broadcast it. It’s just the idea of staying in your own lane, doing your own thing, getting your work done. Both my personality and work ethic are very much independent: staying focused on the task at hand and doing the best you can and, after that, just having fun.”
Whether studying several days in advance to perform well on an upcoming exam or working out daily to dunk a basketball or hoping to assist impoverished populations in third-world countries in the future, Shekar applied his goal-oriented attitude both in and out of the classroom. Yet, from the outset, he derived a “grind it out” mentality from his belief that he can only reap what he sows.
“I know that whatever challenge that is presented to me, I’ll be able to overcome it,” he said. “I believe I have the knowledge and the ability to complete whatever’s put in front of me [because] I know I’ll try my hardest.”
Despite his independent work ethic and self-motivated confidence, though, Shekar relished drawing insights from the diverse opinions of his peers, not as a blind follower but as an insightful listener and keen observer.
“I’ve always heard people say, ‘When you raise your hand, you only think about your question, and you don’t think about what everyone else is saying,’” he said. “When you really want to say something, you block out what everyone else is saying for that time, and I think you lose a lot. If you’re just thinking about yourself, you’re not really spending your time effectively. I just like listening and observing what other people have to say or do and learning from that.”
From jamming out to “Autumn Leaves” to competing on the tennis court to designing iPhone applications, Shekar combined his work ethic and optimism to gain from the experiences of those around him while always walking in his own shoes.
