![“[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)
Drug lord cartel leader El Chapo convicted on 10 charges
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera, a notorious drug trafficker and the leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel, was convicted in a Brooklyn courthouse on 10 criminal counts and faces life in prison.
February 15, 2019
Following a grueling three-month trial, the Mexican crime lord, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera, was convicted on 10 straight guilty verdicts on drug and conspiracy charges last Tuesday. The 61-year-old is famous for leading Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel, the world’s largest drug trafficking organization.
The cartel was responsible for shipping thousands of tons of drugs into the United States, with Guzmán smuggling at least 200 tons of cocaine into the country himself, according to prosecutors. After deliberating over the massive amounts of evidence against the crime lord, the jury’s decision came in a little over a week. Guzmán’s notorious history of smuggling and violence were a main focus, as tales of murders and escapes surfaced during the trial.
The three-month trial included testimony from 56 witnesses, 14 of whom once worked with Guzmán. The high-profile case garnered international attention, and was lauded by the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Richard P. Donoghue, as a victory for Mexican law enforcement and families, where over 100,000 people have died from drug addiction and related violence, while several thousands grieve for relatives lost to the “black hole of addiction.”
As Guzmán was escorted out of the courtroom, he exchanged glances and flashed a thumbs-up to his wife, Emma Coronel Aispuro, shaking the hands of his defense attorneys on his way out. In a personal news conference, Guzmán’s lawyers promised an appeal, focusing on the prosecution’s attempts to restrict their questioning of witnesses and the extradition process of the crime lord to Brooklyn.
A. Eduardo Balarezo, one of Guzmán’s attorneys, spoke of the nature of trial following the announcement of the verdict. “When he came here, he was already presumed guilty by everyone, unfortunately. We weren’t just fighting evidence, we were fighting perception.”
As prosecutors heard of the bloody history of the Sinaloa drug cartel, tight security accompanied mass media coverage, with cartoonists being required to make witnesses undistinguishable, bomb-sniffing dogs and police snipers on patrol, and marshals with radiation sensors securing the premises.
Guzmán faces life in prison at his sentencing hearing, which is currently scheduled for June 25. Currently, the kingpin is expected to be sent to the United States Penitentiary Florence, a SuperMax prison in Colorado.
