![“[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: Joanna Lin plays the role of “mom friend”
“I really identify with Santa Claus from the movie the Rise of the Guardians,” Joanna Lin (12) said. “His center, which is what they are trying to preserve in children and what caused them to become a guardian, is wonder. That’s kind of how I feel about the world. This summer I had a daily drive to Santa Cruz, and I was just so captivated by the fog in the redwood trees. It was so beautiful, and I’m so in awe of all the things it can do. And, because children are naturally this way before they grow up, I want to work with them to preserve a part of me and help them stay that way for a little longer.”
May 23, 2018
Joanna Lin (12) is the quintessential “mom friend”. She frequently drives people home in her light blue minivan, worries that they’ll catch colds if they go to sleep with wet hair and gently chastises anyone for procrastinating.
Joanna’s “mom-ness” not only comes through these small daily interactions but also when she provides a safe space for those around her, whether it be at French National Honor Society meetings or during math competitions.
“I think the main thing about being a mom figure is having people trust you enough to tell you about what’s going on in their lives even though that’s kind of the opposite of what teenagers do,” Joanna said. “Because I think some people don’t have family members that they can talk to, I try to be as welcoming as possible to those kinds of conversations.”
Joanna’s compassionate demeanor is also apparent to those around her, be it her peers or teachers.
“Throughout that class [AP Biology], I don’t know about growth because she was always very good from the beginning, you know,” science teacher Dr. Gary Blickenstaff said. “I just saw her consistent effort all the way through. She’s just a very thoughtful person, a very caring kind of person.”
Joanna’s brother John Lin, a sophomore at University of California, Berkeley, echoes Dr. Blickenstaff’s sentiment: Joanna expressly creates a welcoming environment wherever she is through being fostering kindness and harmony.
“Inner peace [is her strength],” John said. “I don’t think she gets flustered a lot, and if something out of the blue happens, afterwards she’ll tell you ‘Oh, I felt like the world was going to explode’, but she’s very calm in the moment.”
In her free time, Joanna spreads her message of empathy through crochet and hand lettering Instagram account, @heartsofsiliconvalley. So far, she has crafted a potato, a quilt, two ice cream cones, a pencil case, among others and has written over 300 hearts. Joanna has also applied her crocheting skills to other areas, such as her academic classes.
“Just based on the interaction between the three of you that sat right there all the time [David Wen (12), Kaitlin Hsu (12) and Joanna], with her in the middle of things always, and getting back to the comment I made about the kind of person she is, it’s a very small thing, but the shmoo that she made was really just incredible,” Dr. Blickenstaff said.
“I really identify with Santa Claus from the movie the Rise of the Guardians,” Joanna said. “His center, which is what they are trying to preserve in children and what caused them to become a guardian, is wonder. That’s kind of how I feel about the world. This summer I had a daily drive to Santa Cruz, and I was just so captivated by the fog in the redwood trees.”
In the future, Joanna plans on becoming a pediatric surgeon because she believes she will be able to maximize the happiness of those around her through such a career.
“I’m so in awe of all the things the world can do,” Joanna said. “And, because children are naturally this way before they grow up, I want to work with them to preserve a part of me and help them stay that way for a little longer.”
