![“[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: Sneha Bhetanabhotla learns to connect robotics and dance
“A lot of being a choreographer is about digging deep, understanding, and finding out which event leads to the next, which is basically what science is. You would take a circuit and break it apart to understand each of the components, and you would do that to a song,” Sneha Bhetanabhotla (‘17) said.
May 30, 2017
As soon as Sneha Bhetanabhotla (‘17) turned five, she received a Circuits 101 kit and ever since then, she has been interested in the sciences. Living in a house full of scientists, Sneha has been motivated to experiment and explore.
“It involved a lot of tinkering with machine parts through trial and error. That was a lot of what I did with the circuits kit when I was five, so I was taking what I grew up with and applying it to a real world problem,” Sneha said.
Recently, Sneha has been working on a two-year long project to design a pacemaker substitute powered by human blood flow that can detect anomalies in the heart and the brain.
“It’s fascinating to see the applications it can have, and how many people I can help by making something like this. It’s really cool, and I’m having a lot of fun with it,” Sneha said.
Other than science, Sneha loves to spend her time dancing and choreographing. Although she struggled to dedicate time to both activities, Harker helped her develop an identity as a dancer and a scientist.
Even though she is a lover of STEM and the arts, Sneha was always told that she had to chose one to focus on. She explains that although it might not be obvious, there is a connection between science and art.
“It’s really easy to do both things at once. They do relate to each other, even if it doesn’t seem like it. Being at Harker helped me understand what I want to do with the tools and opportunities that I’m given,” Sneha said.
While science has taught her to explore and experiment, dance has given her a way to express her emotions and narrate a story.
“A lot of being a choreographer is about digging deep, understanding and finding out which event leads to the next, which is basically what science is. You would take a circuit and break it apart to understand each of the components, and you would do that to a song,” Sneha said.
Her family has supported her through her academic career and allowed her to participate in the activities she chose. Sneha would like to help provide more opportunities to girls interested in STEM.
“Having the vision of someday being successful and inspiring more people like me is really something I work towards,” Sneha said.
