![“[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)
![“[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: Angel Cervantes chases his goals
![“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)
“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.”
June 16, 2018
For everything Angel Cervantes (12) does, he looks to the future for inspiration and motivation. And the harder his goals are to achieve, the better.
“I do [everything] because I have a goal in mind. It doesn’t bother me that my goals are really high. The higher they are, the harder I have to work. I do it because once I reach those goals it will be extremely satisfying because I can look back ,and it’s kind of like a movie,” Angel said. “League finals was one of those moments, and I looked back and saw how far I had come. It’s not easy but I know the end goal is going to be satisfying.”
Angel uses this mindset in all facets of his life, especially in athletics, and he constantly strives to fulfill all his goals, both academic and athletic.
“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,” he 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.”
Whenever he is faced with adversity, Angel takes the experience and transforms it into a learning opportunity that ultimately helps him work towards his goals rather than hinder him from reaching them.
“I remember my first race. My coach put me as a time that I hadn’t run [12.5 seconds]. I was like coach thinks I can run a 12.5, so I’m going to run that 12.5,” Angel said. “ I ran the race, and I ended up getting last, and I ran a 13.2. After that race I was so upset… In my head, I was like I can’t run this time again. I just realized that I need to work to get where I want to be. That’s really where I figured out that it wasn’t going to come easy. That time wasn’t going to define my work. After that season, I was a 12.3.”
Angel’s athleticism also translates to his football career, where he has made long-lasting friendships with his teammates.
“I grew with the [football] team, especially since freshman year because each year we were getting closer to our main goal, which was winning a championship,” he said. “With that, we had hours of practicing with the team, and it just really shows to value your relationships with your friends because you go through a lot with them. It’s really important to me because I want to see how there doing and what they’re doing especially on the field and in the classroom.”
Angel has learned to appreciate the relationships he creates not only in sports but also in his everyday life. His experience transferring to Harker in freshman year taught him to value friendships on a deeper level.
“In high school, creating relationships can be really intimidating,” Angel said. “Especially freshman year, I was obviously going to a new school, and I wanted to go to a school with all of my friends from middle school. So, I learned from middle school and my family that I really just needed to care about people and value relationships.”
In the end, despite Angel’s prominent role as an athlete on campus, he hopes to be remembered for his approachability and friendship for those around him.
“I take a lot of people under my wing because I want them to do well,” he said. “I just want to help my teammates and actually anyone. If anyone has questions or needs advice, I just want [them to think] ‘Oh, Angel is nice.’ I think sometimes people think that I am intimidating. But, I think I’m pretty soft on the inside. I just want to be seen as a leader that cares for everyone.”
