![“[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)
Swimmers celebrate senior night with win over Kings
Ihita, Alex and Angela hold bouquets ahead of the meet. “This is their last event with our school, and it’s kind of sad to think about, so we’d like to end it with a joyous festival to honor all of them,” Cassandra Ruedy (11) said.
April 12, 2019
The swim team celebrated their senior night today at a swim meet against Kings Academy, honoring senior athletes Angela Li, Ihita Mandal, Alex Yu and Logan Bhamidipaty, who was unable to attend. Before the swim meet, each of the seniors ran through a tunnel formed by their teammates, upon which they were presented with a bouquet of flowers. Multiple members of the community showed up to commemorate their last season on the swim team, including their friends and Head of School Brian Yager.
“This is their last event with our school, and it’s kind of sad to think about, so we’d like to end it with a joyous festival to honor all of them,” Cassandra Ruedy (11) said.
Along with the seniors, seven freshmen, seven sophomores, and four juniors participated in the swim meet, which included 39 events from relays to medley. Coach Tania Chadwick described the seniors as role models for the underclassmen and emphasized their importance in bringing the team together.
“I think in general they bring a lot of experience; they were all club swimmers first. You have a lot of freshmen, but they do a good job of telling the freshmen how high school swimming is, so they can share all that knowledge with them,” Chadwick said. “After a while, there’s that camaraderie. They know that they can talk to them, especially when we get to the state championships.”
After the meet concluded, the team ate pizza together along with a red velvet cake designed in the shape of the pool, which one of the swimmer’s parent had baked, and each senior was presented with a framed copy of their pictures from their swim meets over the span of four years.
“I think one of my favorite experiences was the last meet that we had at Priory,” Alex said. “It was raining and cold, but even in that situation, it was really fun to hang out with everybody…I think that I look after my teammates more, and try to get them interested in swimming. It’s been really nice to get to know all these great people, and a valuable skill that I did learn was to connect with people more.”
