![“[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)
With rainbows and red, GSA celebrates National Coming Out Day
Raphael Sanche (12) and Evan Bourke (10) hand out rainbow smiley face stickers on behalf of GSA club during lunch. “As an ally of our young people who are coming along the process, it means that I get to witness firsthand the growth within our own student body as they’re moving forward and understanding themselves and embracing themselves and being more public with who they are,” GSA club adviser Spanish teacher Abel Olivas said.
October 15, 2018
The applause is deafening. It lasts two, three, five, ten seconds longer than any announcement made that day. Within the sea of red lining the bleachers, students with rainbows streaked across their faces lead the applause, and Raphael Sanche (12), after delivering a heartfelt speech on his gender identity to all these students just a few moments prior, takes his seat in the Zhang Athletic Center, a content smile working its way across his nervous features.
Two months ago, Raphael walked into the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) classroom with a will and a half-finished college essay (and also a way). Much planning, writing, supporting and soul-searching followed.
On Oct. 9, the GSA club president delivered a moving speech on his identity as a transgender male and the struggles he went through to arrive where he is now.
“I really wanted people to know sort of how I came to terms with me being transgender,” Raphael said. “I know a lot of people believe that being transgender starts when you’re very very young, like three or four, but I had already gone through puberty when I figured out I was transgender, so I really wanted to bring attention to that—that there is no [specific] age that someone realizes that they’re transgender.”
The GSA club celebrated National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11 by handing out rainbow stickers to students during lunch and asking students and teachers alike to show their support for the LGBT community by wearing red.
The request was met by overwhelming support from the Harker community: the halls of Harker were filled with students sporting red clothing and rainbow stickers.
Openly queer LGBT activists Robert Eichberg and Jean O’Leary founded National Coming Out Day in 1988 to celebrate the bravery of those who choose to come out and to raise awareness for members of the LGBT community in a localized sense.
“It’s a way for people to really honestly see each other for who [they] really are in a way that shows support for a community that’s been so marginalized in the past,” Raphael said.
GSA club adviser, Spanish teacher Abel Olivas, spoke on the significance of the celebration of this day for not only himself, but for the students in the community.
“As an ally of our young people who are coming along the process, it means that I get to witness firsthand the growth within our own student body as they’re moving forward and understanding themselves and embracing themselves and being more public with who they are,” Olivas said.
For other GSA members, National Coming Out Day holds a particularly special place in their hearts.
“A lot of my friends are LGBT, so we do become very spirited and excited on this day because it represents something that was really important in our lives,” Alissa Gao (10), who delivered last year’s coming out day speech, said. “This day just gives you the opportunity to [be yourself] even if you haven’t maybe come out to certain people.”
As for Raphael, even after coming out to his family this summer, his journey continues. Raphael has since started a testosterone treatment and intends to take more steps in the future to further his gender identity.
“My transition is going great,” he said. “Like my voice is breaking and everything and it hurts, but honestly, I feel a lot happier than I had been in the past three years of high school, and I’m honestly super excited for the future.”
National Coming Out Day, however, is a small part of a big movement. There is still much to be done, and much that is being done. India has just reversed its law criminalizing gay sex. Twenty years after his murder, homophobic hate-crime victim Matthew Shepard is to be interred in the National Cathedral in Washington on Oct. 26. Progress is being made on a worldwide scale, but that progress begins in a small community, a place like a school’s GSA.
“We are, in some ways, a very special place, and this meant years of steps of people taking risks,” Olivas said. “Even before it was such an embracing community, somebody was taking risks, somebody was speaking out, we were inviting people to show support. It was kind of like a movement toward becoming who we are. I think that the GSA’s work and, and as an example, some of the outreach we do, has been really instrumental to becoming [what] it is right now.”
GSA club week begins on Feb. 4, and LGBT Pride month begins in June.
