![“[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)
Harker DECA attends Silicon Valley conference, second conference of 2019-2020 season
Clarice Wang (10) and Melody Luo (10) chat about past experiences at DECA conferences while waiting for the opening ceremony to start last Friday evening.
January 15, 2020
After months of preparation, 116 upper school students, accompanied by 8 faculty chaperones, competed at this year’s Silicon Valley District Career Development Conference (SVCDC) at the Santa Clara Marriott from Friday to Sunday. Harker DECA faced off chapters from high schools all around Silicon Valley.
After arriving at the hotel and completing their respective written tests Friday afternoon, all attendees gathered for the Grand Opening Session before retiring to their hotel rooms. The next day on Saturday, DECA members competed in their roleplay or team decision-making events and presented their written events; students ended the day with a fun-packed evening at the DECA Game Night.
On Sunday morning, the last day of the conference, all attendees gathered once again for breakfast and both the mini and grand award sessions. An estimated 60 teams ranging from one to three members from the Harker DECA chapter placed as the top 10 finalists in their events during the grand award ceremony. Under 30 Harker teams won first, second, or third in their events, receiving a small glass plaque.
“I think everyone did extremely well, and it’s very nerve-wracking going into your first conference but all the freshmen handled it so professionally and I thought they all did an amazing job,” Harker DECA mentor and attendee Radhika Jain (12) said. “Just being there as a senior, it was really nice to see everything come [a] full-circle.”
