![“[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)
Two seniors named as Regeneron scholars
Seniors Cynthia Chen and Joshua Zhou, the 2020 Regeneron scholars.
January 8, 2020
Seniors Cynthia Chen and Joshua Zhou were selected as top scholars in the Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) from a pool of 1,993 applicants from 659 schools in 49 states. The 300 scholars chosen and their respective schools will be awarded 2,000 dollars each.
Cynthia’s research focused on using computational methods to uncover patterns that predict cancer types. Her project was titled “Decoding Neural Networks: Discovery of Anti-Tumor B Cell Receptor Motifs Using a Novel Sequence-Based Computational Framework.”
“It’s gratifying to be recognized by Regeneron, and it’s especially nice because it takes into consideration all the years of science research, so it’s been a long-term goal of mine,” Cynthia said.
Joshua’s project, titled “Physical Analysis and Optimization of Electromagnetic Coilgun Launch Systems,” implements mathematical programs to optimize coilgun design to achieve a maximum velocity of power efficiency.
Regeneron STS began 78 years ago as a science competition that allows high school students to submit individual research from any year of high school. Scholars are chosen based on their research skills and academic achievements. This year continues a strong trend of Harker students making it to the finalist round of the contest, with three finalists in 2019, two in 2018 and three in 2017.
“I spent so much time working on the project and also my paper that I had to submit for the project, and it’s a really competitive program, so I’m really proud of myself,” said Joshua.
Additional reporting by Erica Cai.
