![“[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)
Humans of Harker: Nicolas Acero is intrigued by the extremes
“I am very interested in the extremes, so either really big or really small,” Nick Acero (12) said. “So like astronomy or nanoscience. I have been drawn to this idea of what we don’t know. We don’t know much about space; we don’t know much about the really small. We don’t know anything about really anything below the size of an atom itself. We don’t know what an electron looks like anything like that. We don’t even know what is going on with the sun on the other side of the spectrum. I think that’s just really interesting.”
April 1, 2018
Senior Nicolas Acero finds himself drawn to the unknowns — the enormity of space, the minutia of the atom.
“I am very interested in the extremes, so either really big or really small, he said. “So like astronomy or nanoscience. I took astronomy last semester, and I think it is one of the most interesting class I have ever taken in my life. I have always been into math and science, and I think those classes are great, but astronomy was something new. I had never had any class like that, and now I am doing nanoscience which I also think is cool.”
Nick plans to pursue something related material science and nanotechnology in college.
“It’s something we don’t know much about,” Nick said. “We don’t know anything about really anything below the size of an atom itself. We don’t know what an electron looks like anything like that. We don’t even know what is going on with the sun on the other side of the spectrum. I think that’s just really interesting.”
But at a glance, one might not recognize Nick’s interest in the sciences. He wears Harker soccer gear, not Science Bowl T-shirts, and he frequents Davis Field more than Nichols. He started playing the sport at an early age, under the guidance of his father.
“My dad is from Spain, and you have got lot of soccer there,” he said. “Growing up, I think he just threw me in. Just like he did with my brother. With kids, you just get them to try things. Really what happened is I was pretty good at it. So I kept going, and I ended up liking it a lot. Now it is something that me and my dad share a lot in common. We watch the games on the weekends and I guess we are just stuck with it.”
Nick has found his niche within the soccer community, his name mentioned in school meetings for various goals scored. The sport also helped him bond with his younger brother, Marcos Acero (9).
“It’s his first year of high school,” Nick said of Marcos. “It’s still kind of weird seeing him walk around the campus. We have always been really close. We have been doing everything together since we were little. One of my first memories was actually when he was born and we came home from the hospital, and I remember holding him. That was one of my first memories which I think is pretty neat. We do everything together. We look different, but we have a lot in common.”
Senior Vignesh Panchanatham called Nick a “good brother,” an steadfast person despite his propensity to joke around.
“He really cares what happens,” Vignesh said of Nick. “He knows what is going on in the JV games and how Marcos is going to feel afterwards, and he makes sure that he is going to be ok and feel included.”
Vignesh, a first-year senior soccer player, appreciated Nick’s support as both a friend and teammate.
“Whenever I came out in the morning to practice, he would sometimes be around helping me,” Vignesh said. “We went to [the] park a couple of times to kick the ball around. He basically taught me how to pass the ball again… It just shows how much he cares.”
