![“[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)
Students react to United Airlines incident
April 21, 2017
Chicago Aviation police officers forcibly removed Dr. David Dao, a 69-year-old physician, from an overbooked United Airlines flight from Chicago to Louisville earlier this month.
Prior to takeoff, the airline chose Dao as one of four passengers to disembark to make room for four airline employees. Upon Dao’s refusal to give up his seat, United Airlines staff called in Chicago aviation authorities, who forcibly removed Dao, inflicting a concussion on him in the process. Dao was admitted into a Chicago hospital and has since been released.
@United overbook #flight3411 and decided to force random passengers off the plane. Here’s how they did it: pic.twitter.com/QfefM8X2cW
— Jayse D. Anspach (@JayseDavid) April 10, 2017
United Airlines has since been embroiled in controversy. Some students have decided to take part in the boycott of United Airlines that has emerged following the incident with Dr. Dao.
“[United Airlines has] lost the confidence of customers because of their lack of preparation in dealing with these situations,” Sushant Thyagaraj (11) said. “They’ve displayed their incompetence and narrow mindset, so I will probably be avoiding them for the time being.”
Other students find that, while the brutality should be condemned, United Airlines’ hold in the airline industry is strong enough that a boycott would not be successful.
“Personally, I’m no less inclined to fly United. While yes, I acknowledge there are cases of overbooking, all airlines present that problem,” Misha Tseitlin (12) said. “ Honestly, there are legitimate concerns, but withdrawing business is unfeasible in such a loosely-regulated oligopoly; United isn’t going away and not flying on that specific airline is only going to raise ticket prices and make everyone more unsatisfied.”
Regular fliers of United Airlines hope that this is an isolated incident and that United will remain their choice of airline due to convenience.
“The United incident has received a lot of negative publicity — both the disregard for customers’ rights and United’s poor response are disappointing,” Katherine Tian (10) said. “However, long-time fliers will probably hope that this is an anomalous case and continue to fly for convenience.”
United Airlines has since issued apologies and United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz has announced that he takes full responsibility for the incident.
