![“[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)
![“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: Neymika Jain finds balance in life
![“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)
“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.
June 6, 2017
Neymika Jain (12) has spent years diving into STEM but has a unique way to ward off excess stress. She bullet journals and writes slant poetry, which helps her understand herself more.
“I think one of my main struggles [has been] trying to understand myself and why I’m feeling certain emotions and what essentially the cause of it is,” she said. “I think that I’ve struggled a lot with that over the last four years. Slowly, I’ve begun to come to terms with ‘Oh, ok. This is why I’m feeling frustration.’”
She believes in living a life with purpose in order to make life 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,” she said.
Neymika’s community has humbled her as she realizes that there are many people who have shaped her into who she is today.
“I come from an Indian family, and we have a lot of community values. I think it shaped me to never take praise as just my own. It’s something to be thankful for in terms of ‘Oh, I got praised because of the way I was raised, the community that I was born in and my own privilege,’” she said. “I think that growing up in the kind of family that promotes such community values kind of fit me into the person I am.”
She values the time she can spend alone with just her, her thoughts and her music.
“I think that I have kind of gotten into the routine of driving to fade away into my music,” she said. “I think it’s a routine now where I gather my thoughts every single day when I’m driving to school because it takes about 40 minutes to an hour to get to school. Having that time to just only be with myself in my thoughts, I think that that’s become a routine for me.”
