![“[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 20, Middle School alumnus Stephen Botte spoke to the Upper School in a GSA assembly about his experiences as an openly gay man.
Head of School Christopher Nikoloff opened the presentation by explaining the objectives of the Gay-Straight Alliance and introduced the speaker.
Botte began by recounting his experiences as an adolescent: after being shunned by his friends for being “too gay,” his mother enrolled him at the Middle School, where he flourished in musical theater. After relocating to Bellarmine College Preparatory for high school, Botte made sure to be an inconspicuous student, although he continued to pursue theater arts throughout his teenage years.
After graduating from Santa Clara University and working for a few years, Botte decided that he wanted to start a family. After coming out to his parents at the age of thirty, he met his husband on www.Match.com, and they were wed on a beach in Honolulu, Hawaii. Soon, the couple decided to become parents.
From Los Angeles they moved to Austin, Texas, and opted for a private open adoption from a teenage mother in New Jersey. Because the child was born in New Jersey, both parents were able to legally adopt the child, unlike in Texas. Although Botte often worried that his family would not be able to accept his multi-racial adopted son, his parents embraced the boy with open arms.
In his career, Botte made a point to only accept jobs with domestic partner benefits. He explained the situation at Cisco, where he currently works, and how employees are provided with different minority resource groups. Botte acts as a core team member of the LGBT resource group and appreciates the accepting corporate climate around the Silicon Valley.
“I thought he was a really great speaker and I was glad that he came to speak here,” said sophomore Krishan Kumar.
Tiffany Jang (12) expressed similar views.
“I thought it was interesting,” she said. “I thought he was pretty funny, using his personal experiences.”
Spanish teacher and GSA advisor Abel Olivas decided to invite Botte to speak after talking to him in an email interview for the GSA newsletter. Botte first contacted the school when he saw the GSA bulletin while walking the halls of his old campus. He expressed his wishes that there had been an active GSA community when he was attending high school.
“It’s still kind of hard to be coming out. There’s still some anxiety about doing that…but I think overall, Harker has done a good job of creating a climate that is open, affirming, [and] accepting,” Olivas said.
At the close of his speech, Botte received a standing ovation from the audience.
