![“[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)
Alaska trip students present at first human ecology showcase
Haris Hosseini (11) and Haley Keller (12) present their book “Humans of Ecology: Our Place in Nature,” a collection of photographs and interviews of all the people they met on the trip. A total of 12 students presented at today’s human ecology showcase in Nichols Auditorium.
October 16, 2017
The 12 students who took the human ecology course taught by physics teacher Chris Spenner and biology teacher Dr. Kate Schafer last year and attended the Alaska trip last summer presented at the first human ecology showcase held Monday evening in Nichols Auditorium.
The students explored multiple viewpoints on the relationship between humans and nature. Their primary guide in Alaska, executive director of Inian Islands Institute Dr. Zachary Brown, also attended the session.
Parents and students were invited to first dine in Nichols Atrium while viewing the students’ projects posted around the walls and the running slide show of photos from the trip. At around, 6:15 p.m., the presentations began in the Nichols Auditorium with an introduction and welcome from Dr. Schafer.
Students Alex Lu (11), Anthony Shing (10), Alex Shing (10), Amla Rashingkar (10), Edwin Su (11), Grace Hajjar (10), Mitchell Kole (12), Haris Hosseini (11) and Haley Keller (12) presented their projects, all of which were either research oriented, creative-writing based or centered around photos and interviews. Mallory Millard (12) was absent from the showcase, but her video was featured at the end of the event.
At the end of the showcase, Dr. Schafer thanked event attendees for coming, leaving parents, friends and trip attendees to talk and catch up. The Alaska ecology trip is currently planned to take place every other year.
