![“[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)
Harker FPSers compete at annual FPS International Conference
FPS International Conference attendee Anika Banga (11) poses with some FPS merchandise from the International Conference student store. Anika and Saloni Shah (8) were the two students representing Harker at this year’s International Conference in Wisconsin.
June 12, 2017
Two students from Harker’s Future Problem Solvers (FPS) program competed at the annual FPS International Conference, held this year at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in La Crosse, Wisconsin, last weekend.
This year’s International Conference invited over 2,000 students from 10 countries for five days of discussion and competition to address this year’s International Conference topic of biosecurity. Participants were seeded into categories based on their grade level, with students sixth grade and below competing in the junior division, seventh through ninth graders in the middle division and 10th through 12th graders in the senior division.
Anika Banga (11), who placed third in the senior division of the individuals category at this year’s FPS State Bowl, placed first in the senior division of the Multi-Affiliate Global Issues Competition (MAGIC) with her packet, which she completed as a member of a team of four students from four different schools.
“I researched the topic by reading articles and exploring online. We had just covered ecology in [biology], so I also used a lot of the information I learned there,” she said. “This was my first time at the [International Conference], because the State Bowl [had] always overlapped with the musical. I really didn’t expect to place because it was my first time at Internationals, but after we finished the packet, I felt that it couldn’t have gone better. My teammates were great and everything went smoothly.”
Also representing Harker at the International Conference was Saloni Shah (8), who placed first in the middle division of the scenario writing category at this year’s FPS State Bowl. At the International Conference, Saloni advanced to the final round in the middle division of the scenario writing category with her first place FPS State Bowl piece.
“As a first time FPS Internationals attendee, the experience was completely mind-blowing,” she said. “Internationals opened my mind to a world of FPS that I could not have imagined, and I hope to relive this experience once more.”
The FPS International Conference in Wisconsin marks the end of the 2016-2017 competition season. Prior to the International Conference, the club held their annual farewell banquet and dinner on May 19 at the Upper School.
