![“[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)
Memoir Monday: Water you doing?
November 27, 2017
Alexander Wang
The crash of the water against the pool deck rings against my ears. The smell of chlorine pervades through the air, as steam rises from the surface of the water and creates a sort of halo around the pool. Arms, legs and just about everything else on swimmers’ bodies slap against the water as those swimmers attempt to set new personal records and times. The bright lights of the scoreboard shine bright red behind Kevin Tzeng (12), as he stands in front of the pool, clad in a black t-shirt and a Harker Swimming-embroidered tracksuit: jacket, pants and all.
The pool is part of the Sacred Heart Preparatory Aquatics Center, the site of the our meet and the place where we are to race. This meet in particular is the league finals, with all of the schools in the WBAL in attendance. Swimmers abound, occupying the entire pool deck and all of the areas around it.
Kevin is preparing for his race, both mentally and physically. While he has taken his earbuds off in this photo, Kevin usually listens to some playlist of music before his races. As a team, we have all done out stretches in a circle, ranging from arm circles to lunges. In this exact moment, all swimmers are either starting or have already started their warm-ups in the pool. While Kevin still has his track suit on, he is about to shed it and start swimming.
Kevin and I, and many of our teammates, are competing in the second day of the WBAL Championship meet—the finals. Not all of our teammates have qualified for the second day of the meet, but those of us who have have gathered in the bleachers looking over the Sacred Heart pool in the wee hours of the morning. Twenty five or so of my teammates and I are all around Kevin, also stretching, meditating and preparing for our races. Even though we are about to swim in the league finals, all of the swimmers are perfectly at ease and the scene in the photo is just a standard warm-up.
