![“[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)
- December 21Winter walkways: Students decorate campus buildings in holiday style
- December 19Annual holiday Big Assembly Day showcases performing arts student talent
- December 19Varsity boys soccer suffers defeat to Monta Vista 2-5
- December 18Winter Instrumental Concert highlights talent and collaboration within student music ensembles
- December 17Festive cheer and family traditions
- December 17Predictions for the 67th Grammys
- December 17Embrace winter magic with Aquila
- December 16Tiny love stories: End of year nostalgia
- December 14Junior varsity boys basketball trails behind Mountain View 36-43
- December 14Downbeat dazzles crowds at annual holiday tour
![A row of school buses were decorated with pictures of the seniors. “There’s something about being back on campus, even if it’s only for a few minutes and even if it’s in our cars, that really made [the drive-thru] special and went a far way to provide some closure to our high school experience,” Evan Cheng ('20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/photo_gloriazhang12-900x675.jpg)
![“[Riding motorcycles] really showed me that it doesn't matter what I want to do, as long as I put my mind to it, I can really get to know the task and become good at it. When we go on group rides with my dad and my brother . . . we have to learn our own weaknesses and each other's weaknesses. And that's a big part of understanding, first of all, who we are and how we are able to interact with each other in a new environment,” William Rainow (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/WilliamRainow_GloriaZhang_HoHPhhoto-600x900.jpg)
![Four Harker students share their stories of living and learning abroad. “You get to experience different cultures and learn more about the world through doing things rather than learning about other places at school. Even though it’s a difficult transition process, in the end, I think [living internationally] really helped me as a person,” Caden Lin (9) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/ComingHomeLogoJournalism-copy-900x877.png)
!["We really owe it to [her]," assistant head of school Jennifer Gargano said. "It is hard to say what she has contributed because it is hard to say what she has not."](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Diana-22-900x715.jpg)
![“Nowadays, a lot of the times the way female characters are interpreted or written are sort of whiney," Jessie Skinner (12) said. "There’s only three things that they can be like: The fat best friend —been her, the nagging wife — been her also, or the super dumb blonde. . . These roles that are mostly portrayed as a not nice female word. [I believe in] bringing in these points of view that are ignored. You just have to find that the sliver of message in every show.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/JessieSkinner-DM-900x703.jpg)
![“Trombone is a male-dominated instrument, and sometimes it is easy to be overlooked. When I went to the audition, I played an orchestral excerpt for [the judges]. They said, ‘Could you play that again, dear?’ I felt really conscious being a woman playing the trombone. I knew that they wouldn't call anybody else in the audition, dear. It reinforced that I always have to be confident and mature, when I'm playing trombone because it was patronizing to be called 'dear' in an audition against people who I knew wouldn't be called 'dear,’” Melinda Wisdom (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Screen-Shot-2017-03-06-at-9.49.14-PM-900x599.png)
