![“[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)
Eva Fredrickson, costume designer and wardrobe stylist, visited dance teacher Karl Kuehn’s Study of Dance class during seventh period on Thursday, December 1st.
“She’s one of my best friends who is in the industry, so it was quite easy to utilize her as a resource. It was fun,” Kuehn said.
Fredrickson spoke to the children about her various experiences, including work on shows including Passions, Private Practice, Criminal Minds, America’s Best Dance Crew (ABDC), and How I Met Your Mother.
“[I learned] there are a lot of opportunities in the entertainment business, and although the jobs are not [always] very stable, you can always find something to do,” said Jeffrey Hsu, Study of Dance student (9).
Fredrickson showed the students a slide show of pictures, from hand-painting and meticulous stonework to rough sketches and How I Met Your Mother scenes for which she had created numerous walkabout costumes.
Fredrickson also educated the students on the use of clothing in dance, particularly gussets, fragments of stretch fabric inserted where the body’s joints would fall in, enabling dancers to move in costumes like suits and jeans, as she related experiences from her times at ABDC.
“I really liked how she had a positive attitude towards her work even though it was very demanding,” said Roshni Pankhaniya (9). “I think she was trying to tell us, she summed it up really well at the end, that as long as we try hard and follow our dreams, [we] can achieve whatever [we] want.”
