![“[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)
Kurtas, Indian clothes that include a long thin shirt and loose-fitting, pajama-like pants; kimonos, long, loose robes with wide sleeves and formal garments in Japan; and qipao, the traditional high-neck and straight-skirted Chinese clothing, were among the diverse selection of cultural apparel worn by students and teachers on Wednesday, March 28, also known as Multicultural Day.
Hosted by the Global Empowerment and Outreach (GEO) club, Multicultural Day entailed a carnival during lunch where students of different ethnicities presented traditional desserts and treats of their respective countries, as well as a show where acts ranged from Chinese piano playing to Hawaiian dancing.
Throughout the day, the student body and faculty were given the opportunity to dress in any cultural outfit to represent their ethnicities. Those who wore ethnic clothing could participate in a raffle and have the chance to win an iPod shuffle and bagels for the winner’s entire advisory.
Approximately one-third of the student body participated in dressing up, according to GEO member Shreya Vemuri (11). If more prizes had been offered, she believed, more students would have been motivated to take part in the event.
“It’s hard to influence the fraction of people who don’t wear the attire, [but] the people who want to [dress up] will just wear it no matter what the incentive is,” she said.
Shreya adds that Multicultural day exposes the school to different cultures and emphasizes the diversity of cultures. Kimberly Ma (10) agrees.
“[The school] itself is a pretty diverse community, so opening up and bringing it all out is showing exactly who we are,” she said.
Students had various reasons for dressing up in clothing of their own or even a different ethnicity.
“It’s fun to dress up and remind people that as Americans, we have connections to other parts of the world,” Lorraine Wong (11) said.
Although Shreya wished for more rewards to motivate people to dress culturally, Zabin Bashar (9) believes differently.
“I felt that they should have encouraged dressing up as a way for students to embrace their culture rather than win bagels for their advisory,” he said.
Overall, the clothing aspect of Multicultural Day provided students and teachers a chance to represent their ethnicities and traditions.
