![“[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)
Varsity girls soccer honors seniors, defeats Mercy
Varsity captain and senior Ria Gupta chases down a Mercy player during the senior night game. “The seniors are definitely a very big part of our team, and they bring a lot of energy and technique to the field,” she said. “They’re all such kind and loving people, and they really make this team feel like a family for a lot of us, and so it’s important that we have this one night for them to show them how much we really appreciate them and all the hard work they’ve put in these past years.”
February 6, 2019
The varsity girls soccer team won their senior night game against Mercy High School on Feb. 6 with a final score of 6-1, increasing their league record to 7-3-1 this season.
Seniors Lilia Gonzales, Tamar Sasson, Julia Amick, Alycia Cary, Ria Gupta, Rithi Jayam, Alexandra Lu, Sahana Narayan, Anika Rajamani and Cameron Zell were honored at the ceremony with gifts from their teammates and a message from their coach, Iman Siadat, as he spoke about each of them to the spectators.
Amla Rashingkar (11), a member of the team, added how much the seniors have impacted the team and helped the other players.
“The seniors are definitely a very big part of our team, and they bring a lot of energy and technique to the field,” she said. “They’re all such kind and loving people, and they really make this team feel like a family for a lot of us, and so it’s important that we have this one night for them to show them how much we really appreciate them and all the hard work they’ve put in these past years.”
The girls’ last league game will be away against Castilleja on Feb. 11 at 3:30 p.m.
Correction: Feb. 28, 2019
A previous version of this article had incorrectly omitted seniors Lilia Gonzales and Tamar Sasson from the list of seniors on the varsity girls soccer team. The text and a caption have been now been changed to reflect this correction.
