![“[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)
Living in the shadows
This cartoon depicts what it feels like when I am constantly being compared to my sister. All the light and glory shines on her, while I’m sitting behind in her shadow enveloped in darkness where no one can see me.
February 21, 2018
“Oh, I know your sister!” These are the words that I always hear but never really want to. I love my sister, but it is never enjoyable to be in another person’s shadow and continuously compared to them. I am forever known to others, especially teachers and upperclassmen as my older sister’s sibling. I am no longer just Laura, and now have pressure to live up to her reputation.
People commonly hint at or sometimes even say straight up ask “Why can’t you be more like your sister?” She has always been the star of the family. I am smart, but she is smarter. I get good grades, but she gets almost perfect grades. She artistic and can paint from nature. She is also musically gifted and can play a song just by listening to it a few times.
I remember being jealous of her in elementary school, wanting to be just like her. One day my teacher tested me on ear training, where she plays a chord and I have to say what it is. She started off saying, “This shouldn’t be too hard since your sister is really good at this,” but my sister has always had a sensitive ear and could discern what notes were played.
After playing a chord, she asked “Which one is it: major third or minor third?” Very confused, I guessed, “Major third?” We repeated this several more times, before finally stopping.
Turns out, I failed pretty badly and had trouble figuring out major from minor, authentic from plagal, a perfect fourth from a perfect fifth. Her response was something along the lines of shock at how bad I was compared to my sister who excelled at it.
Even my parents constantly compare me against her. My mom always comments on how she’s too skinny and needs to eat more, while I am eating too many sweets and need to lose weight, even though we are the similar in weight, height and clothing size. She yells at me for having a sweet tooth despite my sister being the one who eats a dessert everyday after dinner.
However, I know that this is not unique to me. Almost everyone who has a sibling will be compared to each other at some point in life, expected to be equal if not better than the other person in every single aspect. After years of trying to catch up to my older sister, I have discovered that although I will never be as smart or artistic as her, I do not need to be and that we are two different people who have different talents and strengths.
