![“[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)
Tensions escalate over disputed Kashmir region
September 1, 2019
Ever since the British partition of the Indian Subcontinent in 1947, India and Pakistan have been at odds with each other, whether in athletics or nuclear armaments. However, recently, that historic rivalry has been escalating into actual fighting on the ground.
“India and Pakistan were never meant to exist the way they currently are,” Arun Sundaresan (12) said. “They are so diverse that they were just a series of ‘princely states’ with a couple of major empires before British rule.”
Fighting broke out because of armed revolts led by militia that India believes to be backed by Pakistan. In February, A Kashmiran suicide bomber killed 40 Indian paramilitary officers and an Indian pilot was shot down by Pakistani forces. Additionally, tensions rose because on Aug. 5, the current governing party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), removed the special status from Kashmir and disbarred Article 370.
Article 370 is a constitutional provision granting some special rights to Kashmir that was brought in after it became part of India. It was originally designed to be a temporary provision as a placeholder for a permanent solution but since the Constituent Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir, the body that passed the provision, has since been dissolved, no official plans for its repeal were entertained.
R.K. Misra, a non-resident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, believes that India is completely justified in removing special status from Kashmir.
“This is completely an internal matter of India, within the purview of Indian constitution, and that’s why Pakistan is getting no support from anywhere,” he said.
The two countries have repeatedly fought over control of Kashmir, a region in northern India. At first, Kashmir wanted to be its own state, but their leader eventually decided to join India. India later instilled Article 370, which gave Kashmir its own flag as well as a high level of autonomy.
Kashmir is also a primarily Muslim region, at about 60 percent, making it the only Muslim majority state in an otherwise predominantly Hindu India. Therefore, many Kashmirians separatists believe that they should merge with Pakistan or create their own state, and believe that the BJP pushing an agenda to make Kashmir more Hindu. Misra disagrees with this idea.
“In India, religions are not made based on religion… and Indian Muslims are living in harmony and peace everywhere in the country,” he said.
