![“[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)
On Tuesday March 6th, Red Cross Club hosted a blood drive for eligible students and faculty throughout the course of the day.
Instead of going through the Red Cross, which imposes age requirements on donors in addition to other weight and health requirements, the club decided to work with Blood Centers of the Pacific. Alan Soetikno (11), an officer of Red Cross Club, said they chose that agency because the club had worked with them in the past and the center provided advertising materials like posters and wristbands.
“I think its really good that our school is getting people together to donate for a charitable cause,” Delaney Martin (9) said.
Tristan Killeen (12) agrees, and believes that this event “should probably be run more frequently.”
In order to donate blood, students were required to bring a signed permission form from their parents and meet certain requirements. For instance, boys must be at least five feet tall and weigh 110 pounds, and nobody who had visited a country with malaria incidence in the past year was eligible.
According to Alan, over 60 people signed up to donate; however, only around half were actually able to donate. Many of those turned away presented with a low iron count in their blood, making them ineligible to give.
Many who were able to donate enjoyed the experience.
“It didn’t hurt at all, surprisingly,” Red Cross Club president Preeya Mehta (11), who “had a little nervousness” about donating, said. “Afterwards, I felt pretty normal.”
Upcoming Red Cross Club week activities include a controlled fire on the blacktop, a fire-themed obstacle course, and an emergency kit scavenger hunt.
