![“[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)
Speech team hosts annual Speech Showcase
Nikhil Dharmaraj (10) performs an excerpt of his self-written speech “The Power of Small” during today’s Speech Showcase. This year’s event was held in the Nichols Auditorium from 12:35 to 1:25 p.m.
May 26, 2017
The speech team hosted their annual Speech Showcase today during long lunch from 12:35 to 1:25 p.m. in the Nichols Auditorium.
Speech coach Marjorie Hazeltine and debate coaches Greg Achten and Jenny Achten greeted attendees at the door. Today’s event was emceed by speech team member Divya Rajasekharan (12), who introduced each speaker and gave the audience members a brief rundown of each style of speech exhibited with each performance.
Humorous Interpretation performer Sana Aladin (12) opened the showcase with an excerpt of the 2006 movie “Little Miss Sunshine.” Dramatic Interpretation performer Nikki Solanki (9) followed with a selection from the Lisa Evans novel “Once We Were Mothers.”
Programmed Oral Interpretation performer Prerana Acharyya (9) then took the stage to deliver an excerpt of her piece “Dance It Out,” a performance of a variety of samples of literature discussing the subject of dancing and movement. Nikhil Dharmaraj (10) and Avi Gulati (9) also performed a part of the Dr. Seuss book “The Sneetches and Other Stories.”
Nikhil returned to the stage to showcase the speech event of Original Oratory with an excerpt of his self-written speech “The Power of Small.” To wrap up the event, Avi and David Feng (9) held a mock Congressional debate session discussing the advantages and disadvantages to continuing the Upper School’s Meatless Mondays policy.
Following Avi and David’s performance, Hazeltine thanked the audience for coming to support their friends and invited everyone to enjoy a reception of candy.
