![“[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)
Illustrating the diverse environment of the Upper School community, this week featured an assembly organized by the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA), a group from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and a vocal concert.
“I think the three things that we covered- Mr. Botte’s speaking to the student body, the MIT presentation by InvenTeam last night, and United Voices- were all special. I think it continues to show what a talented student body and talented faculty that we have to advise and mentor all of these groups. We certainly want to thank GSA for sponsoring Mr. Botte because I think everyone enjoyed his speaking to us this week,” Butch Keller said.
On Tuesday, March 20, Stephen Botte, a graduate of the Middle School, spoke to the entire Upper School about being gay. Organized by GSA, the assembly featured Botte and his personal and professional experiences from childhood to adulthood as a gay individual. Botte is currently a part of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) group at Cisco, where he works.
On Thursday, March 22, two representatives from MIT visited the Upper School to see the Engineering team’s InvenTeam presentation. Led by Anthony Silk and Dr. Mark Brada, the group has been working to create a hydroelectric generator for the project, which they presented to the MIT visitors as a part of InvenTeams, a program created to inspire high school students to invent.
On the same day, the Upper School choirs participated in United Voices, an all-campus show of vocal groups hosted by the Performing Arts department. Held at the Mexican Heritage Center, participating groups included Bel Canto, Camerata, Downbeat, and Cantilena.
More events to look forward to next week include updates on the Varsity baseball and softball teams.
