![Setter Emma Lee (9) sets the ball to the middle during the match against Pinewood on Sept. 12. “[I’m looking forward to] getting more skilled, learning more about my position and also becoming better friends with all of my teammates," Emma said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DSC_4917-2-1200x795.jpg)
![“[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)
![“Animation just clicked in a way. I had been interested in art, but that felt different. [Animation] felt like it had something behind it, whereas previous things felt surface level. I wasn't making that crazy of things, but just the process of doing it was much more enjoyable," Carter Chadwick ('22) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screen-Shot-2022-08-16-at-9.44.08-AM-900x598.png)
![“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)
![“[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)
![“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)
![“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)
Upper school speech and debate team competes at Glenbrooks speech and debate tournament
Courtesy of Scott Odekirk
Avi Gulati (10) poses with his third-place award in Original Oratory from the Glenbrooks tournament. A total of 26 upper school students competed in this year’s Glenbrooks, held in Illinois from Nov. 17 to Nov. 20.
November 28, 2017
The upper school speech and debate team attended the Glenbrooks speech and debate tournament in Illinois from Nov. 17 through Nov. 20.
A total of 26 Harker students competed in this tournament in Congressional, Lincoln-Douglas and policy debate. The tournament consisted of four rounds for speech and six for debate.
Among the students that attended, Nathan Ohana (9) placed in semifinals in Congressional debate. In oratory, Nikhil Dharmaraj (11) made it to the semifinals and Avi Gulati (10) received third place. Additionally, Jacob Ohana (12) and Alan Hughes (12) qualified to quarterfinals in policy debate.
The Glenbrooks tournament was one of the largest and most difficult tournaments that the upper school speech and debate team attended this year. Around 307 schools from 37 states competed.
“For each part of the team, different tournaments are really important. Glenbrooks happens to be one of the only tournaments that are important in all of our events,” Speech and Debate Teacher Scott Odekirk said. “Glenbrooks is kind of like a culminating tournament for the first semester for all of our kids, so it’s a really big deal. In some events it’s the hardest, some it’s not, but it’s the most difficult tournament that has high-level competition for all the events.”
Despite the difficult competition, students felt that Glenbrooks helped them improve in their speech and debate skills.
“Seeing the competitors and learning from their different styles and how they perform and how they speak makes us better because watching them also gives us tips for ourselves,” speech team member Rhea Nanavati (9) said. “Since the competition was so good, we know exactly what does well and how we can improve our oratory pieces.”
The team’s next tournament is a league tournament, which will be at Cupertino High School this Sunday in preparation for the Arizona state tournament on Jan. 5.
Nikhil Dharmaraj poses with his semifinalist award in Original Oratory. Around 307 schools from 37 states competed in this year’s Glenbrooks.