![“[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)
Upper school debaters compete at Heart of Texas Invitational
Courtesy of Greg Achten
Andy Lee (9) and Maddie Huynh (10) pose with their Sophomore Hoedown awards from the Heart of Texas Invitational. Maddie was awarded third speaker and Andy was awarded fifth speaker out of all the competitors in the Hoedown.
October 19, 2017
Eight members of the upper school speech and debate team competed in the Heart of Texas Invitational at St. Mark’s School from Oct. 14 to 16.
Alan Hughes (12), Jacob Ohana (12), Megan Huynh (12) and Anusha Kuppahally (11) competed in the varsity policy division, while Jai Bahri (10), Maddie Huynh (10), Andy Lee (9) and Jason Lin (9) competed in the Sophomore Hoedown. Megan and Anusha’s team went 3-3 in the pre-elimination rounds, but did not advance into the elimination rounds. Maddie and Andy’s team advanced to the finals of the Hoedown and finished in second place against a team from the Montgomery Bell Academy. Maddie was awarded third speaker and Andy was awarded fifth speaker out of all the competitors in the Hoedown.
“The tournament was run really well,” Jason said. “ The food was great, and most importantly, there were free debate timers.”
Team Jacob and Alan advanced to the octofinals after winning four out of six preliminary rounds, ending their run at the tournament against a team from Montgomery Bell Academy. As a result of their finish at the event, Jacob and Alan earned a bid to the Tournament of Champions (TOC).
The TOC takes place in April at the University of Kentucky. Every year, the TOC committee provides a listing of tournaments where students can earn bids at to qualify for the TOC. For the Heart of Texas Invitational, debaters could have earned a bid if they advanced into the octofinals in either Lincoln-Douglas or policy debate. Debaters who earn two bids before the TOC will be eligible to compete at the event.
The speech and debate teams will be competing in two local tournaments at Milpitas High School and Gunn High School before traveling to Gainesville, Florida for the Florida Blue Key Speech and Debate Tournament from Oct. 27 to 29.
